Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opens in Los Angeles

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art officially opened its doors in Los Angeles today, welcoming a sold-out crowd to its galleries, gardens and striking new home in Exposition Park.

Founded by filmmaker and collector George Lucas and business leader Mellody Hobson, the museum is billed as the first institution devoted entirely to the tradition of visual storytelling. Its collection spans cultures and centuries, bringing together everything from prehistoric cave paintings and illustration to comics, cinema and murals.

Lucas and Hobson marked the opening alongside museum architect Ma Yansong and CEO Tracey Bates during a special program that brought more than 100 students from USC, the Los Angeles Technology Center, Otis College of Art and Design and Los Angeles City College to the museum. The students were surprised with free tickets to take part in the opening-day celebration.

The co-founders also greeted the first 100 visitors through the museum's doors.

"I've spent more than fifty years collecting the work of artists who don't always get their due—illustrators, cartoonists, muralists, painters—because I believe their images are as vital as any other art form," Lucas said. "They deserve to be in a museum."

The 300,000-square-foot museum includes more than 100,000 square feet of exhibition space spread across more than 30 galleries.

Among the artists represented are Artemisia Gentileschi, Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, Robert Colescott, Frank Frazetta and Robert Crumb, offering visitors a sweeping look at how artists have used images to tell stories across different eras and mediums.

For Lucas fans, one of the museum's highlights is Star Wars in Motion, a special exhibition featuring rare film materials from the Lucas Archives. The exhibition focuses on designs for the vehicles featured in the first six Star Wars films, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the visual development of the iconic franchise.

The museum experience extends well beyond its galleries. Its 11 acres of parkland and gardens, designed by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA, include 10 monumental outdoor sculptures and are intended to provide a public gathering space and green space for the South Los Angeles community.

Visitors can also take in films in two 299-seat theaters, the Robert Flaherty Theater and Slavko Vorkapich Theater, which offer continuous drop-in screenings.

Other features include a free public research library with general research collections, special collections, rare books and archives; educational and public programming spaces; a dedicated retail store featuring merchandise inspired by the museum's collections; and Skywalker Grill, the museum's signature restaurant.

With its combination of fine art, film history, comics, illustration, architecture and public space, the Lucas Museum represents the latest major cultural addition to Los Angeles—and a highly personal extension of Lucas's decades-long interest in visual storytelling.

The museum is now open to the public. Tickets and additional information are available through lucasmuseum.org.