Los Angeles has a brand-new reason to look up at the sky — the spectacular Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has officially opened its doors in Exposition Park! On September 22, a sold-out crowd of excited visitors walked through the museum’s galleries, park, and gardens for the very first time, and the celebration was nothing short of magical.
Founded by filmmaker George Lucas and business leader Mellody Hobson, this is the first museum in the world dedicated entirely to the art of visual storytelling — from prehistoric cave paintings to illustration, comics, cinema, and murals. The co-founders marked the historic day alongside architect Ma Yansong, who designed the museum’s stunning biomorphic building, and surprised more than 100 college students from USC, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles City College, and the Los Angeles Technology Center with free tickets to the opening program. Lucas and Hobson even greeted the first 100 visitors at the doors.
Inside the 300,000-square-foot landmark, more than 100,000 square feet of exhibition space across 30+ galleries showcase works by artists ranging from Artemisia Gentileschi and Frida Kahlo to Norman Rockwell and Robert Crumb. The inaugural cinema exhibition, Star Wars in Motion, draws from the complete Lucas Archives with designs from the visionary vehicles of the first six films. And there’s so much more: two 299-seat theaters, a free public research library, state-of-the-art educational spaces, the Skywalker Grill restaurant, and 11 acres of park and gardens — much-needed green space for South Los Angeles.
The museum is open six days a week, with free admission for children 17 and under, active-duty military, members, and residents of the 90037 zip code. A museum built for everyone, right in the heart of Los Angeles — what a beautiful new beginning!
Photo: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
