New Delhi: A 300,000-square-foot museum by Star Wars director George Lucas, designed to resemble a spaceship and located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, is set to open to the public on September 22, 2026. Its collection spans art pieces from different eras of narrative storytelling, with works ranging from artists like Artemisia Gentileschi to Frida Kahlo.
Beyond paintings
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is the culmination of decades of Lucas’ work, from 1971 to 2012, and brings together contemporary media such as illustrations, comics and cinema, which traditionally have not been viewed through the same lens as painting, sculpture and photography.
The collection goes beyond Star Wars, bringing together paintings, photography, illustrations, comics, graphic stories, manga and anime. One of the galleries is dedicated to the world of Star Wars, featuring vehicles, models and production material from the films.
The Lucas Museum also has a free research library and a destination restaurant, the Skywalker Grill. Further, it also has two 299-seat movie theatres, one of which will screen documentaries about artists and filmmakers.
“I’m used to doing the impossible. This one almost broke my will,” Lucas said of his experience working on the museum, which he built with his wife, Melody Hobson. Melody defines the museum as a “people’s temple of art.”
She said they wanted to make a museum that was unlike any other, which is why it holds a variety of mediums telling stories from different eras.
“So that more people can walk in and somewhere in these galleries, see themselves and the world they know reflected back. That kind of recognition is what we built this place to offer,” she said.
For Lucas, the museum is a way to honour humanity’s stories and the artists who illustrated them.
“The artist in this collection didn’t just create images; they connected our modern imaginations with our ancient emotions and common beliefs, creating community,” he said.
Also Read: Guggenheim Abu Dhabi finally has an opening date. Museum will house 600 artworks, 30 galleries
From the Stone Age to Star Wars
The museum takes visitors back to the Stone Age. The first gallery begins with a large-scale reproduction of the cave paintings of Altamira in Spain, which are at least 14,000 years old, followed by a reproduction of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The museum’s spaceship-like structure was designed by Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects, in collaboration with design firm Stantec. It includes 100,000 square feet of gallery space spread across more than 30 galleries, within a larger 13-acre site featuring parks and gardens designed by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA.
Edited by Maryam Hassan