Nothing says “I’ve arrived” about a genre of art than its appearance on the walls of museums and galleries, and though it could be argued that illustration art is fashionably late to the party, its arrival is making a splash.

Since the founding of Grapefruit Moon Gallery in 2003, we’ve seen a handful of touring exhibits focused on pulp and mainstream magazine illustrations, and a number of institutions increase their commitment to preserving art that tells a story.  Most of these museums reside on the East Coast, but a new building with a strong dedication to illustrative pieces is soon to be opening in our very own Midwest, and we had to share the news.

The Lucas Museum will open in Chicago, Illinois with a particular focus on illustration art. In particular, comics & children’s books as well as digital art and film. The museum will draw heavily on pieces from George Lucas’s personal collection, which holds works by some of the top illustrators of the 20th century including, Maxfield Parrish, J.C. Leyendecker, Alberto Vargas, and Rolf Armstrong.  We know we will be making a road trip once the museum opens to the public, but there’s no reason to wait that long to see illustration art in person.

If you’ve never been, it’s worth a trip to the Norman Rockwell Museum that strives to preserve, study, and educate viewers on the field of illustration with a focus on the master of illustration himself, Norman Rockwell.

Or if the bright lights of New York City have caught your eye, stop by the Society of Illustrators in Manhattan, a piece of living history where prominent artists including Howard Pyle, Maxfield Parish, N.C. Wyeth, Charles Dana Gibson, Frederic Remington, James Montgomery Flagg, Howard Chandler Christy would meet for monthly dinners–if those walls could talk…

And don’t forget that you can explore illustration art from the comfort of your own home, right here at Grapefruit Moon Gallery!