George Lucas previews 1 billion dollar narrative art museum in Los Angeles ahead of public opening

Opening after seventeen years

Filmmaker George Lucas and business executive Mellody Hobson presented the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to approximately 300 journalists during a press preview on 2 September 2026. The 1 billion dollar private institution is scheduled to open to the general public on 22 September 2026 in Los Angeles. The preview concluded a 17-year campaign that faced repeated municipal hurdles, including discarded proposals in San Francisco and Chicago over design and public land use. Los Angeles approved the project in 2017, and construction commenced in 2018 before encountering eight years of building work alongside pandemic shutdowns and supply-chain obstacles. Addressing attendees in one of the facility's theaters, the 82-year-old filmmaker spoke about the endurance required to finish the project.

I'm used to doing the impossible. This one almost broke my will.

Architecture and Exposition Park campus

The five-story, 300,000-square-foot building stands in Exposition Park on a site previously occupied by asphalt parking lots, located across from the University of Southern California. Designed by architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects in collaboration with Stantec, the white curved structure features elevated sections without sharp corners, creating a form likened by its designer to a floating cloud. Landscape architect Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA developed the surrounding gardens, paths, and public gathering areas that cover the site. Inside, the facility incorporates more than 100,000 square feet (over 9,000 square meters) of gallery space across more than 30 galleries, along with two theaters, a free research library, classrooms, a cafe, and a rooftop restaurant called Skywalker Grill. Co-founder Mellody Hobson framed the project around community access during the introductory ceremonies.

I tell people, the Lucas Museum is a museum by the people for the people.

Curatorial vision and collection scope

The museum's inaugural program presents more than 1,300 pieces drawn from a permanent collection of over 40,000 works devoted to visual storytelling. Displays encompass fine art paintings, comic book panels, children's book illustrations, murals, and cinematic artifacts spanning centuries. Featured fine artists and illustrators include Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White, Artemisia Gentileschi, Banksy, Kadir Nelson, Frank Frazetta, and Jack Kirby. The film galleries feature extensive holdings from the Lucas Archives collected between 1971 and 2012. Visitors encounter a yellow Naboo N-1 starfighter suspended near the entrance, followed by displays of original costumes for Darth Vader and Princess Leia, an Imperial AT-AT model, and podracers.

Leadership transitions and staffing changes

The final phase of development followed significant internal restructuring and personnel adjustments. Former director and chief executive Sandra Jackson-Dumont exited the organization in February 2025 as the museum split executive roles, leading to the appointment of Tracey Bates as chief executive in January 2026. Chief curator Pilar Tompkins Rivas and curator-at-large Dan Nadel also departed in 2025, after which Lucas took over direct curatorial responsibilities and creative direction. The institution also carried out workforce layoffs affecting 14 percent of its staff in 2025, primarily across its learning, engagement, and museum services divisions. Chief executive Tracey Bates affirmed during the opening week that the museum's institutional values and core programming objectives remained stable through the administrative turnover.