The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, announced it will open to the public on September 22, 2026. This new cultural institution—architected by Ma Yansong of MAD, with gardens designed by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA—is in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park.
George Lucas first announced on January 10, 2017 that the museum would be built in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, citing the proximity of University of Southern California, his alma mater, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, BMO Stadium, other museums, and local schools in the South Los Angeles region. Construction prep began in January 2018, and the groundbreaking ceremony took place on March 14, 2018.
The Lucas Museum seeks to explore how stories connect people and capture the human experience. “Stories are mythology, and when illustrated, they help humans understand the mysteries of life,” said George Lucas, co-founder of the museum. The museum was built on the belief that illustrated storytelling is a universal language.
“This is a museum of the people’s art—the images are illustrations of beliefs we live with every day. For that reason, this art belongs to everyone,” said Lucas Museum co-founder Mellody Hobson. “Our hope is that as people move through the galleries, they will see themselves, and their humanity, reflected back.”
The Lucas Museum’s permanent collection holds more than 40,000 works, representing one of the most significant collections of narrative art. The building’s thirty-five galleries occupy 100,000 square feet. Galleries are named to reflect the human experience—love, family, community, play, work, sports, childhood, adventure, and more. They will display familiar pieces by beloved illustrators; mural paintings of the 20th and 21st centuries; comic art, of which the museum has deep and extensive holdings; children’s book illustrations; science-fiction illustrations; and the fantastic visions captured in 20th-century culture. The museum will also display cinematic artifacts, including movie posters, and show documentaries featuring artists and filmmakers.
Opening in September 2026, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is dedicated to illustrated storytelling. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum’s collection features works by artists such as Norman Rockwell, Kadir Nelson, Jessie Willcox Smith, N. C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, Judith F. Baca, Frida Kahlo, and Maxfield Parrish; comic art legends such as Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, Alison Bechdel, Chris Ware, and Robert Crumb; and photographers Gordon Parks, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Dorothea Lange. The museum also houses the Lucas Archives, containing models, props, concept art, and costumes from Lucas’s filmmaking career.
Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with a landscape by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA and Stantec as executive architect, the museum is in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, on an 11-acre campus that includes new green space and a 300,000-square-foot building with galleries, two theaters, a library, restaurant, café, retail store, and community spaces.
What do you think of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opening next year? Will you make plans to visit the museum? Let us know in the comments.
