George Lucas Unveils His $1 Billion Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles
George Lucas showed up at a press preview of his billion-dollar museum in Los Angeles and told reporters the project had "almost broke my will." The 82-year-old film-maker behind Star Wars and Indiana Jones was introducing the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a five-story, 300,000-square-foot building in Exposition Park, across from the University of Southern California. It opens to the public on 22 September 2026. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Lucas co-founded the museum with his wife, business executive Mellody Hobson. He described it as "a temple to the people's art" — a home for illustration, painting, cinema and comics under one roof. The road to opening day took seventeen years, by Lucas's own count, including failed attempts to build in San Francisco and Chicago that collapsed amid disputes over location, design and public land. Construction alone lasted eight years. Los Angeles was selected as the site in 2017. (The Hollywood Reporter)
The building was designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects with Stantec, and sits inside a 13-acre campus of gardens and public green space created by landscape architect Mia Lehrer. Inside, the museum packs more than 100,000 square feet of gallery space, two theatres, a free research library, classrooms, a cafe and a rooftop restaurant called — inevitably — Skywalker Grill. (The Hollywood Reporter)
The inaugural displays draw more than 1,300 objects from a permanent collection exceeding 40,000 works. The range is wide: Frida Kahlo, Norman Rockwell, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White, Banksy and Frank Frazetta all appear. The museum has also partnered with publisher TASCHEN on a book released to coincide with the opening. (The Hollywood Reporter; Lucas Museum press release)
One of more than thirty installations opening with the museum is the cinema exhibition "Star Wars in Motion," which features C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader, Princess Leia's costume, Luke Skywalker's landspeeder and a model of an Imperial AT-AT. It is the most visible link to the film saga that bankrolled the entire undertaking. (Lucas Museum press release; The Hollywood Reporter)
The museum has announced free admission and community programmes designed to welcome its South Los Angeles neighbours ahead of the grand opening. Visiting hours run Wednesday through Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM, with extended Friday and Saturday evenings until 9 PM; the museum is closed on Tuesdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. (Lucas Museum press page; Lucas Museum press release)
What stands out is the scale of personal commitment. One billion dollars, seventeen years, three cities and a will that nearly broke — all to house illustration and cinema alongside Kahlo and Rockwell, and to give the collection away to the public. Lucas has called it "the people's art." On 22 September, the people get their first look.
