The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opened its doors on Tuesday, September 22, welcoming a sold-out crowd to its galleries, park and gardens set within its landmark building in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park.
Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the Museum is the first institution dedicated to the tradition of visual storytelling. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art traces the history of visual storytelling across cultures and centuries, from prehistoric cave paintings to illustration, comics, cinema, and murals.
Lucas and Hobson celebrated the historic opening with a special program that included Museum architect Ma Yansong and Lucas Museum CEO Tracey Bates. More than 100 students from USC, the Los Angeles Technology Center, Otis College of Art and Design, and Los Angeles City College, participated in the opening day program with Lucas and Hobson on hand to greet the first visitors through the doors.
“I’ve spent more than fifty years collecting the work of artists who don’t always get their due—illustrators, cartoonists, muralists, painters—because I believe their images are as vital as any other art form. They deserve to be in a museum,” George Lucas said at the historic opening.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art honors the universal tradition of storytelling through images. Encompassing everything from prehistoric cave paintings to today’s screen art, the Museum explores and celebrates the power of visual storytelling to inspire individuals, give shape to beliefs and ideals, and forge community.
Melody Hobson continued, “This is a museum of the “people’s art”— the images are illustrations of the beliefs we live with every day, and for that reason, this art belongs to everyone.”
Built in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park, the Museum is housed in a 300,000-square-foot building designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with Stantec to embody the emotional power of narrative art, creating a sense of wonder, possibility, and connection to something larger than ourselves.
“From the beginning, George and I have wanted this to be a place where visitors of every background can walk through our galleries and see themselves, and their humanity, reflected back. Today, that vision opens its doors,” Hobson elaborated.
The building is integrated into a new 13-acre campus including a park designed by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA: a green, multilayered gathering place for local communities and an extraordinary programming resource that brings learning and engagement outdoors.
Visitors to the 300,000-square-foot architectural landmark—designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with Stantec —discovered more than 100,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed across more than 30 galleries.
“The design of the Lucas Museum is a metaphor for storytelling and imagination—a space to explore new possibilities. My goal was to create a building that invites curiosity and brings visitors on an emotional journey. The building’s biomorphic, dream-like form softens the boundary between indoor and outdoor, between architecture and park—because seeking a connection with nature is an innate human need. The museum also reflects Los Angeles itself: its pioneering spirit, its embrace of many cultures, and the relationship between nature, society and the city,” remarked Ma Yansong at the opening day program.
An unparalleled collection that brings together eras and mediums, these installations feature works by artists from Artemisia Gentileschi and Norman Rockwell to Frida Kahlo, Robert Colescott, Frank Frazetta, and Robert Crumb.
Below are highlights visitors must see when visiting the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
Star Wars in Motion – A cinema exhibition with a special gallery presenting rare film materials drawn from the complete Lucas Archives (1971-2012) featured Star Wars in Motion, an exhibition of designs for the visionary vehicles seen in the first six films in the series.
The Lucas Archives – Art and artifacts from the first six Star Wars films and Raiders of the Lost Ark, including production art by Ralph McQuarrie, Joe Johnston’s sketch of the Millennium Falcon and Jim Steranko’s pre-production paintings.
1200+ pieces of Narrative Art – An immense collection of works spanning centuries and originating from across the globe, exhibited in 30+ galleries across 100,000 square feet.
Robert Flaherty Theater – one of two theaters in the museum that will focus on documentary films, including episodes of Seeing is Believing: The Story of Narrative Art.
Slavko Vorkapich Theater – The second theater, focused on innovative short films from the past and present, including experimental works from George Meiles, Man Ray, Walt Disney and many more.
Comics and Manga Art – A gallery featuring American favorites like Peanuts and R.Crumb, French masters like Maebius and Phillipe Druillet and a wide range of popular Japanese series.
Lucas Library – A home to collections of children’s books, comics, magazines and sci-fi and fantasy books, featuring floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and views of the park and gardens. This library houses extensive general research collections, special collections, rare books, and archives, open to all visitors free of charge.
Skywalker Grill – A full service signature destination restaurant featuring twists on classic American dishes, including lobster dogs and Skywalker Ranch Wagyu burgers.
Lucas Museum Park and Gardens – An urban oasis featuring a hanging garden, amphitheater, meadow and foundation resembling a waterfall, with more than 200 trees. 11 acres of park and gardens designed by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA, which create much-needed public green space for South Los Angeles, serving as a community.
Additionally visitors can explore:
- a film program with continuous drop-in screenings in two 299-seat theaters, the Robert Flaherty Theater and Slavko Vorkapich Theater
- state-of-the-art educational and public programming spaces designed to bring storytelling to life for all ages
- a dedicated retail space with merchandise related to visual storytelling, inspired by highlights of the museum’s collections, designed and produced exclusively for the store
The Lucas Museum is now be open to the public six days a week:
- Monday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Tuesday, closed
- Wednesday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Thursday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Friday, 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Saturday, 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Sunday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
The library opens at 10 am and is shut one hour before the Museum closes. The park and gardens open at 8 am and close at sunset.
For more information and to plan your visit to the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, visit lucasmuseum.org