At last! Years since the project was first proposed, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has set its opening for September 22, 2026. The museum, located in Los Angeles, California, bills itself as an exploration of “how narrative art shapes our world—expressing beliefs, communicating values, expanding imagination, and inviting conversation.” In a statement (via the Los Angeles Times), founder George Lucas said, “Stories are mythology, and when illustrated, they help humans understand the mysteries of life. The museum was built on the belief that illustrated storytelling is a universal language.”
It’s been a long road to the official opening of the Lucas Museum. The project went through years of negotiations in San Francisco and Chicago before landing making a home in Exposition Park (also home to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County). After breaking ground in 2018, there were yet more delays arising from COVID-19 and supply chain issues. But now the museum is close to complete and gearing up to welcome the public to its 100,000 square foot space, which will feature 35 galleries and over 40,000 works including sculptures, comic art, children’s book and science fiction illustrations and photography. Artists featured range from Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, and Beatrix Potter to Jack Kirby, Alison Bechdel, and R. Crumb. Under the auspices of the museum there will also be multiple theaters, a cafe, a restaurant, a library, classrooms, and a public park open to all (including those who don’t have tickets to the actual museum).
Among the collection includes the Lucas Archives, consisting of models, props, concept art, and costumes from George Lucas’s films. In July, the director attended San Diego Comic-Con for the first time in large part to herald the imminent opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. “I’ve been [collecting art] for 50 years now, and then it occurred to me, what am I going to do with it all? I’ve worked with hundreds of illustrators in my life, and they’re all great, but they don’t get recognized for anything,” he said at the time. “[Art] is more about a connection and emotional connection with the work, not how much it cost or what celebrity did it. I don’t think it’s anything anyone will tell you. If you have an emotional connection, then it’s art. I’ve discovered just from my experience of making movies that other people’s opinions don’t mean much.”
