George Lucas Hopes to Open Art Museum in SF

San Anselmo resident and Star Wars creator George Lucas wants to open an art museum in San Francisco to inspire the young.

During an interview with CBS This Morning, Lucas took a reporter on a tour of Skywalker Ranch — located near Nicasio in Marin — and explained his passion for art, especially artists Maxfield Parish and Norman Rockwell.

The interview gives Lucas fans a glimpse into the billionaire’s plans for retirement, which — more or less — began after he sold Lucasfilm to Disney in October 2012 for $4 billion. (He gave all the money from the deal to his Marin-based education foundation.)

The museum will showcase many of the pieces of artwork Lucas has acquired. It will also celebrate digital design and animation, he said.

“This museum, if anything, is a dedication to cultural fantasy,’ Lucas told the CBS reporter. “There is a world of young people who need to be inspired.”

In the interview, Lucas explained he was always drawn to storytelling in the art. Also, Parish’s dreamscapes inspired some of the futuristic world of Star Wars, according to the report.

Lucas recently submitted a 20-page proposal to the Presidio Trust, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. There were 16 bids for the space, a former commissary site at Crissy Field.

Lucas wants to invest up to $300 million of his own money to build the museum, according to the Chronicle. 

Lucas also told CBS he plans to make “little personal movies and experiment with film and have fun” during his retirement.

In Marin, plans are moving forward to create a park with statues of Yoda and Indiana Jones in downtown San Anselmo on property Lucas donated to the town's chamber.