George Lucas Built A Museum That Wants To Change What We Call Art

George Lucas has spent the majority of his life telling stories that shaped pop culture. Now, he’s constructed a museum dedicated to explaining why those stories, and thousands of other stories told through images, belong in a museum.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is slated to open on September 22, 2026, in Los Angeles' Exposition Park, 17 years after the project was first conceived. The institution cost roughly $1 billion to build out and includes a 300,000-square-foot building, more than 100,000 square feet of gallery space, and more than 30 galleries featuring more than 1,300 works in its inaugural exhibitions.

Of course, since George Lucas is involved, "Star Wars" gets plenty of attention. However, it represents only one part of what Lucas and his wife and museum co-founder, Mellody Hobson, are trying to accomplish. The larger idea is narrative art, hence the name of the museum.

Lucas wants visitors to see connections between paintings, comic strips, children's illustrations, photography, murals, movies, and the visual worlds that inspired them. The George Lucas Museum in Los Angeles isn’t simply asking whether something is considered “fine art.” It asks whether art can tell a story and how that story can help us better understand ourselves.

This Isn't Really A "Star Wars" Museum

It’s impossible for George Lucas to build a museum without there being a strong "Star Wars" influence, but it’s important to note that this latest venture is not a "Star Wars" museum. The franchise is represented throughout the museum, including in the inaugural “Star Wars in Motion” exhibition. Visitors can see vehicles, concept designs, props, and costumes associated with the first six films, including Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder and the first physical build of General Grievous' Wheel Bike. The museum's outdoor grounds also include a bronze sculpture depicting Princess Leia freeing herself from Jabba the Hutt. Still, the film franchise that made Lucas a household name represents only a fraction of the exhibits.

According to the museum’s CEO, "Star Wars" accounts for about 7% of the inaugural exhibitions, which is an important number for anyone arriving expecting a gigantic shrine to the franchise. There's plenty for “Star Wars” fans to see, but Lucas' larger collection goes much deeper.

The Lucas Museum in Los Angeles includes Norman Rockwell paintings, a remarkable Frida Kahlo self-portrait, comic art, photography, children's illustrations, murals and works from artists ranging from Diego Rivera to Frank Frazetta. The museum also houses the complete Lucas Archives, containing film materials from Lucasfilm productions between 1971 and 2012.

One Of The Museum's Biggest Stars Is Frida Kahlo

One of its most notable works is Frida Kahlo's 1940 “Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser,” sometimes called the “Mona Lisa of Mexico.” Kahlo painted the work as a tribute to Dr. Leo Eloesser, the physician who treated her chronic pain.

In the painting, Kahlo wears a necklace made of thorns, with tiny droplets of blood around her neck. Beneath Kahlo is a small banner that reads “mi médico y mi mejor amigo.” Translated, it simply says, “my doctor and my best friend.”

The implementation of the Kahlo portrait reinforces a very important truth about the Narrative Art Museum. The building may be associated with Lucas, but the collection isn't confined to Lucas' imagination. It reaches across different cultures, artistic traditions, and centuries.

The Comic Book Collection Is Serious Business

George Lucas has been an avid comic book and comic strip collector since long before the museum opened. According to the museum, his first art purchase came while he was in college, when he bought an illustration of the comic-strip character Alley Oop. The result is what may be the largest collection of comic art in the world, though the collection has not received that distinction yet.

The museum's comics and graphic-story galleries include original material from “Flash Gordon,” “Black Panther,” “Peanuts,” “Garfield,” “Tarzan,” “Prince Valiant,” and other major strips and characters. The museum also has work from artists including Winsor McCay, Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, George Herriman, and Robert Crumb.

The Building Is Part Of The Experience

In true George Lucas fashion, even the building is part of the larger story being told. Designed by architect Ma Yansong of MAD with Stantec, the building has an organic, curved form that was intentionally designed without a single straight line. Its central arch stretches 185 feet, while a massive elliptical oculus sits four stories above the public plaza. More than 1,200 individually shaped fiberglass-reinforced polymer panels form the exterior.

Visitors arriving for “Star Wars” will certainly find it. They'll see Landspeeders, costumes, production art, and vehicles from a galaxy far, far away. But they'll also encounter Rockwell, Kahlo, comic strips, children's illustrations, murals, photography and artifacts from movies that have nothing to do with Lucas.

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