Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, founded by American filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, the businesswoman Mellody Hobson, opened on 22 September 2026. Dedicated to the power of visual storytelling, the museum will display the couple’s collection of American painting and popular illustration, comics, cinematic art and more. The collection gives contemporary vehicles of storytelling equal standing alongside painting, sculpture and photography, presenting fine art and popular culture side by side as part of one continuous visual tradition. Its holdings originated in Lucas’ comic art collection from his college years and have been assembled over decades since.

The otherworldly five-story building from Ma Yansong of MAD Architects embraces smooth organic forms that evoke the sculptural shapes of tree canopies and clouds. Set on an 11-acre site, the 300,000-square-foot structure stands within South Los Angeles’ Exposition Park amid a hilly landscaped garden by Mia Lehrer from Studio-MLA, planted with native and drought-tolerant species. Inside, 35 galleries will display artworks organized by themes that encompass Comics, Fantasy, Children’s Stories, History and Community. The collection features illustrators such as Norman Rockwell, Jessie Willcox Smith, Maxfield Parrish and N.C. Wyeth; comic artists like Winsor McCay, Frank Frazetta, George Herriman, Jack Kirby and Robert Crumb; modern and contemporary artists, including Frida Kahlo, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White and Robert Colescott; and muralists, among them Judith F. Baca and Diego Rivera.

The museum also houses the complete Lucas Archives, comprising original Lucas film materials — props, costumes, artworks and artefacts — from productions including the first six “Star Wars” films and the first four “Indiana Jones” adventures. Though not a monument to “Star Wars,” the museum will open with an exhibition of vehicles and models used in the series. Beyond its galleries, visitors will also find two state-of-the-art theaters, 10 studio and classroom spaces, a free research library and the destination restaurant Skywalker Grill.

^{Photos courtesy of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art}