“I am humbled to be joining such an extraordinary museum community and to be creating the museum in a city that has a long tradition of embracing the arts and architecture,” Lucas said in a statement released Tuesday.
Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed first reported the Chicago victory.
Museum spokeswoman Devon Spurgeon said Chicago was expected to be selected by the museum board in a formal vote Wednesday. The museum will also be renamed the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
“George Lucas has revolutionized the art of storytelling over the last four decades, and we are honored to be the recipient of this incredible legacy investment that will allow everyone to learn about and experience the narrative arts,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement.
“Like Marshall Field, John G. Shedd and Max Adler before him, George’s philanthropy will inspire and educate for generations,” he added. “No other museum like this exists in the world, making it a tremendous educational, cultural and job-creation asset for all Chicagoans, as well as an unparalleled draw for international tourists.”