A stunning new publication from TASCHEN celebrates the Lucas Museum's first exhibition of narrative art, bringing together centuries of image-making, from painting and illustration to comics, photography and film, including Star Wars.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and TASCHEN present a sweeping exploration of the images that have shaped how we see, remember, and understand the world.
This outstanding project, published on the occasion of the museum's first exhibition and opening on September 22, 2026, is presented in a deluxe two-volume edition, as well as in two smaller formats. Its pages trace a long history of visual storytelling, linking image-making traditions across centuries, cultures, and techniques.
The collection includes texts by George Lucas and Guillermo del Toro, as well as a foreword by Ryan Linkoff. Contributors include distinguished artists and image-makers including Thomas Hart Benton, Jesse Willcox Smith, Frank Frazetta, Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell, and N. C. Wyeth. Their work is presented alongside that of other renowned artists and creators from the worlds of painting, illustration, photography, comics, children's books and film. The books, organized thematically, make connections between artists, eras and forms, from intimate moments and imaginary worlds to images that have entered the collective imagination.
A special cinematic section explores the visual universe of Star Wars. Original sketches and concept drawings are displayed alongside costumes and vehicles, illuminating the creative process behind one of popular culture's most enduring sagas.Together, they show how ideas evolve through collaboration to become stories that resonate across generations.
The edition is led by an impressive two-volume classic edition, conceived as the definitive format and produced with TASCHEN's signature attention to image, scale, paper and print. Edition 45 offers a more compact format, while the Piccolo Edition is a compelling miniature volume available exclusively through Lucas Museum retail stores.
Author biographies
George Lucas is a film director, screenwriter, producer and co-founder of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Best known as the creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, he contributed significantly to shaping modern cinema through Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic. His long-standing support of artists and visual storytelling is reflected in the publications he contributed to and in the original concept of the Museum.
Guillermo del Toro is a film director, screenwriter and producer known for combining fantasy, horror and history in his works such as Frankenstein (2025), The Shape of Water (2017) and Pan's Labyrinth (2006). A prolific author, collector and promoter of visual culture, he has long been an advocate for artists, narrative art and original storytelling.
Ryan Linkoff is senior curator and director of film programs at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. He previously served on the founding curatorial team of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and served as a curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).He holds a PhD from the University of Southern California and is the author and editor of numerous publications on photography, film and narrative art.
Jessica Hundley is a writer, filmmaker and journalist. She has written for publications such as Vogue, Rolling Stone and The New York Times, and is the author of books on artists such as Dennis Hopper, David Lynch and Gram Parsons. Hundley's work often explores counterculture, with particular emphasis on metaphysics, psychedelia and magic.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will open on September 22, 2026. Visit the website of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to learn more about the museum, some of the artwork and exhibits on display, and membership.
