The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles will open on September 22, 2026, revealing its inaugural exhibitions. Co-founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the $1 billion, 300,000-square-foot museum in Exposition Park will feature over 1,200 works from a collection of more than 40,000 pieces. The opening includes roughly 20 exhibitions across 30 galleries, headlined by "Star Wars in Motion," which displays vehicles, props, and costumes from the first six films, including Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder and General Grievous' wheel bike. Other exhibitions explore themes like family, community, and adventure, featuring artists such as Norman Rockwell, Frank Frazetta, Maxfield Parrish, Thomas Hart Benton, and N.C. Wyeth.
This opening matters because it realizes a long-delayed vision for a major institution dedicated to narrative art, bridging popular culture and fine art. By placing Star Wars artifacts alongside works by canonical American illustrators and global storytelling traditions, the museum challenges traditional hierarchies in the art world. Its focus on "the people's art" and storytelling across media—from comics and manga to cinema—signals a growing institutional embrace of narrative and popular imagery, potentially reshaping how museums engage broad audiences.