Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opens in LA on September 22, with More Than 1,300 Collection Works in Over 30 Galleries

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, founded by George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series, and Mellody Hobson, opened to the public in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, on September 22, 2026. It was designed by Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects, working with Stantec. The 300,000-square-foot (about 27,800 m²) building has more than 100,000 square feet (about 9,300 m²) of exhibition space across more than 30 galleries, and the opening exhibitions display more than 1,300 works from the collection. Based on the museum’s press releases and official website, this article covers the path to opening, the architecture and park, the collection and opening exhibitions, admission and reservations, and post-opening announcements.

The museum describes narrative art as art created to tell a story through images. The September 22 announcement says it is the first institution to trace the tradition of visual storytelling across cultures and eras, from prehistoric cave paintings to illustration, comics, film and murals. As for connections with Japan, the opening exhibitions include a manga gallery featuring Japanese illustration and animation. The artists in the displays introducing comics, manga, graphic novels, photography and murals include Takashi Murakami, and the film program screens the anime “Cowboy Bebop.” Openings and closures of museums in Japan are compiled in our roundup of museum closures and reopenings.

The run-up to opening: Member previews before the public opening

The opening date was revealed in an announcement on November 12, 2025. According to the opening announcement of September 2, 2026, member preview days were scheduled from September 5 to 11, ahead of the public opening. A “Neighborhood Preview Day” welcoming community partners and local businesses was planned for September 13, and an opening night celebrating the building’s completion for September 19.

According to the announcement on opening day, September 22, first-day tickets sold out. Lucas and Hobson greeted the first 100 visitors. The two founders gave free tickets to more than 100 students from the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles Technology Center, Otis College of Art and Design and other schools, inviting them to an opening-day program, which architect Ma Yansong and CEO Tracey Bates also joined.

Lucas said he had spent more than 50 years collecting the work of artists who had not received the recognition they deserved. Ma Yansong called the opportunity to design an institution dedicated to the art of visual storytelling a great honor. Bates described the day as the culmination of years of work and the beginning of the museum’s journey as a public institution.

Architecture and park: A curving building without straight lines and 11 acres of green space

The building has five stories and covers 300,000 square feet (about 27,800 m²). According to the official website, it contains 100,000 square feet (about 9,300 m²) of galleries, two movie theaters and spaces for learning, dining and retail. A central arch spans 185 feet (about 56 m), connecting the north and south lobbies. The exterior is clad in more than 1,200 curved fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) panels. The September 2 announcement says the building’s curving form was designed without a single straight line, seamlessly connecting indoors and outdoors.

The official website describes the building as the result of a 15-year collaboration between Ma Yansong and the founders. The executive architect was Michael Siegel of Stantec.

The site surrounding the building covers 13 acres (about 5.3 ha). Of this, 11 acres (about 4.5 ha) of park and gardens were designed by Studio-MLA, led by Mia Lehrer, transforming former parking lots into a green landscape. The September 22 announcement says it provides much-needed public green space for South Los Angeles. Ten large outdoor sculptures on narrative themes are placed along accessible paths in the park; the artists include Fernando Botero. The landscaping uses stormwater for irrigation, cascading fountains help with cooling, and rooftop solar panels supply power.

Exposition Park is a 160-acre (65 ha) park that is home to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the California African American Museum, the California Science Center, the LA Memorial Coliseum and BMO Stadium, among others. The University of Southern California is across the street.

Collection and opening exhibitions: More than 1,300 works from a collection of over 40,000

According to the official website, Lucas began collecting in college, when the only art he could afford was $30 original comic art. Over 50 years, the collection has grown to more than 40,000 works, spanning iconic American paintings, popular illustration, comics and cinematic art.

The opening exhibitions trace the history of narrative art with more than 1,300 works from the collection, across 100,000 square feet and more than 30 galleries (September 2 announcement). The April 30 announcement had given the figure as “more than 1,200.” The displays begin on the first floor with “The History of Narrative Art: Heroes • Myths • The Sacred.”

The artists range widely, from Artemisia Gentileschi and Norman Rockwell to Frida Kahlo, Robert Colescott, Frank Frazetta and Robert Crumb. Works by Vincent van Gogh, George Bellows and Jacob Lawrence are also on view.

Main galleries: Everyday life, illustration, comics, manga and murals

The April 30 announcement lists 18 galleries for the opening exhibitions. The main ones are as follows.

• Everyday Life: Visual stories of daily life, such as childhood, community, family and love

• Rockwell: The museum’s holdings by American illustrator Norman Rockwell

• Wyeth: Book illustrations by N.C. Wyeth from the 1910s to the 1940s

• Comics • Graphic Stories: American and European comics, including Mœbius, Jack Kirby and Alison Bechdel

• Manga: Japanese illustration and animation

• Murals: Large-scale murals by Judith F. Baca, Diego Rivera and JR

• Photography: Documentary photographs by Robert Capa, Gordon Parks, Dorothea Lange and others

• Cinema: Production design, props and costumes from the Lucas Archives

The fifth-floor galleries address large-scale public storytelling, showing how murals reflect history, identity and a society’s shared memory. They present works from the extensive archive of “The History of California,” popularly known as “The Great Wall of Los Angeles,” a half-mile (about 800 m) mural by Chicana muralist Judith F. Baca (September 2 announcement).

Star Wars displays: From the Lucas Archives

Film materials are gathered in a special gallery presenting rare items selected from across the Lucas Archives (1971–2012). On view there is “Star Wars in Motion,” a display introducing vehicle designs from the first six films in the series. According to the May 4 announcement, it brings together vehicle designs, props, costumes and illustrations from the six films, including speedy racers, massive transports and flying ships, and also shows General Grievous’s wheel bike, built as a full-scale physical object for the first time.

Film program: Two 299-seat theaters

The museum’s two theaters, each with 299 seats, are named the Robert Flaherty Theater and the Slavko Vorkapich Theater. To present film both as a powerful means of storytelling and as a cutting-edge technology for creating moving visual experiences, one theater is devoted to each aspect. The opening program, announced at San Diego Comic-Con on July 23, screens works ranging from a few minutes to 90 minutes continuously throughout the day, and visitors can come and go freely.

The lineup includes director Ron Mann’s “Comic Book Confidential,” early silent films by Georges Méliès and others, early animation by Winsor McCay, “Looney Tunes” and “Merrie Melodies” shorts, “Cowboy Bebop” and episodes of “Star Wars: Visions.” According to the official website, general admission covers all galleries, exhibitions and theaters.

Research library and restaurant

The research library is free and open to all visitors. It holds more than 30,000 comic books, about 3,000 art books donated by actor, writer, musician and collector Steve Martin, and more than 2,900 volumes from the personal library of writer and mythologist Joseph Campbell. At the top of the museum is the restaurant Skywalker Grill, operated by Rhubarb Hospitality Collection, part of Oak View Group.

Admission and reservations: Timed tickets required for everyone

Admission is $25 for adults and $21 for those 65 and over. Admission is free for those 17 and under, members, active-duty military and LM37 pass holders. The LM37 pass is a free pass available only to residents of the museum’s ZIP code, 90037; holders can reserve free tickets for themselves and one guest. The museum says it will continue to set aside tickets for LM37 holders after the opening. According to the FAQ on the official website, California EBT cardholders and caregivers of visitors with disabilities also enter free. Memberships start at $140 and include unlimited admission, priority entry and preview perks.

Timed tickets are required for entry regardless of age; members and accompanying children must also book in advance. Tickets for September 2026 through February 2027 went on sale on July 21. The shop, cafe, restaurant, park and gardens, and library can be used without a reservation.

Hours are 10:00–17:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 10:00–21:00 on Fridays; 9:00–21:00 on Saturdays; and 9:00–17:00 on Sundays. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing. The research library opens at 10:00 and closes one hour before the museum. The park and gardens are open from 8:00 until sunset. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. All parking in Exposition Park costs $20 per day ($24 for entry after 17:00). The nearest public transit stop is Expo/Vermont station on the LA Metro E Line.

Opened: September 22, 2026 (public opening)
Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 10:00–17:00; Friday 10:00–21:00; Saturday 9:00–21:00; Sunday 9:00–17:00 (last entry 45 minutes before closing)
Closed: Tuesdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
Address: One Lucas Plaza, 3800 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90037 (in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA)
Admission: Adults $25, 65 and over $21; free for those 17 and under, members, active-duty military and LM37 pass holders
Reservations: Timed tickets required for everyone
Founders: George Lucas, Mellody Hobson
Architects: Ma Yansong (MAD), Stantec
Official website: https://lucasmuseum.org/

Post-opening announcements: No attendance figures on the press page yet

As of October 25, the most recent announcement on the museum’s press page is the one from opening day, September 22. No post-opening attendance figures had been posted on the press page as of October 25. The opening-day announcement reports only that first-day tickets sold out and that the founders greeted the first 100 visitors.

The leadership structure was announced on July 9, before the opening. Tracey Bates leads operations in the first year as CEO, while George Lucas directs the museum’s artistic content. Since 2020, Bates has worked on building the museum’s strategic foundation, developing programs and creating initiatives that generate revenue and connect with visitors.

Editor’s perspective

Lining up the announcements before and after the opening shows that the figures have been updated. The November 2025 announcement said 35 galleries would occupy 100,000 square feet, while the September 2026 announcement says more than 100,000 square feet across more than 30 galleries. The number of works in the opening exhibitions also rose from “more than 1,200” in April to “more than 1,300” in September. This article uses the figures from the latest announcements.

Operationally, the museum combines reservations with free access. While requiring timed tickets for everyone, it offers free entry to those 17 and under, residents of the local ZIP code 90037 (LM37) and EBT cardholders, and lets visitors use the park, library and restaurant without a reservation. Together with turning former parking lots into an 11-acre park, this can be seen as demonstrating, through both pricing and facilities, a museum open to the South Los Angeles community.

The museum’s thinking is also evident in how the displays are organized. The September 2 announcement presents comics, manga, graphic novels, photography and murals as artistic “media,” shown in the same museum as paintings by Van Gogh and Kahlo. It is a structure that cuts across fields using storytelling as the criterion. Exhibitions of Western art in Japan are covered in our guide to Western art exhibitions, and official attendance figures for digital art facilities in Japan in our article on attendance at digital art facilities and immersive exhibitions. Los Angeles also saw the opening of DATALAND, a museum of AI arts, in June 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a reservation?

Yes. Timed tickets are required regardless of age, and members and accompanying children must also book in advance. The park and gardens, research library, shop, cafe and restaurant can be used without a reservation.

How much is admission?

Admission is $25 for adults and $21 for those 65 and over. It is free for those 17 and under, members, active-duty military and holders of the LM37 pass for residents of ZIP code 90037. General admission covers the galleries, exhibitions and theaters.

Has post-opening attendance been announced?

As of October 25, no attendance figures had been posted on the museum’s press page. The September 22 announcement reports that first-day tickets sold out.

*Information as of October 25, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (Photo: Hufton+Crow, from the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s press release)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s press releases (November 12, 2025 – September 22, 2026) and information on its official website (as of October 25, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team