The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has announced its inaugural exhibitions ahead of its opening on September 22. Founded by filmmaker George Lucas and philanthropist Mellody Hobson, the museum was designed by MAD Architects founder Ma Yansong. The opening will feature 18 thematic exhibitions showcasing over 1,200 works across 30 galleries, spanning genres such as cinema, photography, comics, manga, and anime, with dedicated shows for illustrators like Norman Rockwell, Jessie Willcox Smith, and Frank Frazetta. The collection also includes works by Beatrix Potter, Frida Kahlo, Winsor McCay, Alison Bechdel, Gordon Parks, and Dorothea Lange, alongside the Lucas Archives containing props and costumes from Lucas's film career.
This opening matters because the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art represents a major new institution dedicated exclusively to illustrated and narrative art—a category often overlooked by traditional fine art museums. By focusing on storytelling across media, from children's book illustrations to manga and cinema, the museum broadens the definition of art and elevates commercial and popular visual culture. Its scale—300,000 square feet on an 11-acre campus with theaters, community spaces, and a library—signals a significant investment in Los Angeles's cultural landscape and could reshape how narrative art is collected, studied, and exhibited.