The History of Narrative Art: Heroes, Myths, The Sacred

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Los Angeles · South LA

The Lucas Museum opens with a ground-floor survey of how images built the myths, heroes, and belief systems that organized human society over tens of thousands of years. Signature works from the founders' collection hang alongside full-scale, high-resolution reproductions of art that cannot travel: the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Winged Human-Headed Bulls from the Palace of Sargon II, the Altamira cave paintings, and the Aztec Sun Stone. It is the entry point to more than 1,300 works across 30-plus galleries. Upstairs, the fourth and fifth floors group the collection by theme (love, family, community) and by medium, with dedicated rooms for comics, manga, and graphic novels (Charles Schulz, Frank Miller, Takashi Murakami), photography (Robert Capa), murals (Diego Rivera, Judith F. Baca, JR, Banksy), and American illustration (Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish), plus Van Gogh, Jacob Lawrence, Ernie Barnes, and Beatrix Potter. Two companion shows open the same day: Star Wars in Motion, a Lucas Archives installation of vehicle concept art, props, and costumes from the first six films, and a tribute to architect Ma Yansong of MAD, with drawings and renderings of the museum itself.

Admission: $25 adults, $21 seniors 65+, free for 17 and under, members, active military, and 90037 residents with the LM37 pass. Timed entry required.

Artists

Judith F. Baca

Judith F. Baca, born 1946, is an American muralist, artist, and activist known for large-scale public works that center marginalized histories. She founded the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) in Los Angeles and directed The Great Wall of Los Angeles, one of the world’s longest murals. Her work explores Chicano identity, social justice, and community empowerment, earning her national recognition as a pioneer of socially engaged art.

Takashi Murakami

Takashi Murakami (born 1962, Tokyo), Japanese contemporary artist, based between Japan and the United States, known for painting, sculpture and installations, founder of the Superflat movement, blending traditional Japanese art, anime and consumer culture, his work explores pop aesthetics, commercialism, spirituality and the relationship between high and low art.