The countdown has begun: the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will open to the public on September 22, 2026, bringing to Los Angeles a new large space dedicated to narrative art. Born from the wish of George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum will rise in Exposition Park, one of the city’s most important cultural districts in the Golden State’s metropolis.
The architectural project bears the signature of Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, while the gardens have been entrusted to Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA. The aim is to create not merely a museum, but a place capable of telling the relationship between images, stories, and human experience. A concept especially dear to Lucas, who views stories as a form of mythology that can help people understand life’s mysteries.
A museum dedicated to narrative art
At the heart of the Lucas Museum there will be a permanent collection of over 40,000 works, destined to become one of the world’s most important holdings devoted to narrative art. The pieces will be distributed across 35 galleries, spanning a total area of about 9,300 square meters.
The spaces will not be organized solely by chronological or artistic criteria. Their names will evoke some of the universal themes of existence, such as love, family, community, play, work, sport, childhood and adventure. The idea is to accompany visitors through images and stories capable of speaking to people of different ages and cultures.
The collection includes works by renowned illustrators, murals created in the 20th and 21st centuries, comics, illustrations for children’s books and boards related to science fiction. Also featured will be fantastical representations that helped shape the imagination of 20th-century culture.
The museum thus arises from the belief that illustrated storytelling is a true universal language. For Mellody Hobson, it is a popular art that belongs to everyone and can allow visitors to see themselves in the works on display and, through them, rediscover something of their own humanity.
From Star Wars to the cinema
The bond with the world of cinema will be one of the most fascinating features of the new museum. The collection will also include cinematic memorabilia, including film posters, while some spaces will be dedicated to screening documentaries about artists and directors.
It is especially the name of George Lucas that makes the project particularly awaited by cinema and pop culture enthusiasts. The museum’s cofounder is the creator of Star Wars, one of the most celebrated film sagas of all time, and of Indiana Jones. The new space will not be devoted solely to his works: the ambition is far broader and encompasses the numerous ways in which people have told the world.
The Lucas Museum thus positions itself within Los Angeles’ cultural landscape as a new attraction dedicated to illustration, comics, cinema, and imagination. The building will be complemented by gardens designed to integrate with the architecture and offer an additional space to enjoy within Exposition Park.
Among the complex’s attractions is also planned a rooftop panoramic restaurant atop the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the Skywalker Grill, which will add another reason of interest for those visiting the museum as well as for those who do not enter the galleries.
