The Force is strong in L.A. this week. Eight years after work started on the one-billion-dollar Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the highly anticipated addition to the city’s thriving cultural scene will open its doors in fall 2026. The museum announced today that the official opening date of the institution filmmaker George Lucas is touting as “a temple to the people’s art” will be September 22, 2026.
There’s still no information available about ticketing, the opening celebration or any free museum days, but to be honest, we’re thrilled just to have a firm date at this point, since, after delays due to factors including pandemic-related supply-chain issues, the estimated opening date had been pushed back from 2021 to 2022 to 2023 to 2025 to, finally, 2026.
By now you’re likely familiar with the verdant spaceship that’s landed in Exposition Park between the Natural History Museum and the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The curvaceous building topped with solar panels and gardens adds something decidedly different—and otherworldly—to L.A.’s architectural scene and has been piquing Angelenos’ interest for years now.
Situated on 11 acres, once it’s completed the five-story, 300,000-square-foot museum will feature not only 35 galleries but two state-of-the-art theaters, as well as classrooms, a library, dining options and a gift shop. Outside, the lush landscaping is a draw unto itself—the green spaces will double as a public park open to all, no ticket needed.
Inside the galleries, you’ll find more than an institutionalized shrine to Star Wars, as might be expected. In fact, the “Narrative Art” part of the museum’s moniker reflects a collection Lucas has been amassing for the past 50 years, made up of more than 40,000 artworks that reflect the importance of the somewhat nebulous field of illustrated storytelling, divided into galleries with themes like love, family, play, childhood and adventure.
The artwork ranges from children’s book and science fiction illustrations to murals from the 20th and 21st centuries to an extensive collection of comic art. So you’ll find pieces by Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, Jack Kirby, R. Crumb, Beatrix Potter, N.C. Wyeth, photographer Dorothea Lange and more modern names like cartoonist Alison Bechdel all under the same roof—in short, there’s something for everyone. Some collection highlights will include the first-ever Flash Gordon comic strip, an original splash page from Black Panther (1968) and original Peanuts comic strips from the 1950s and ’60s.
But worry not, Star Wars fans: The museum will also house the Lucas Archive—think props, models, costumes, concept art and more that trace the trajectory of Lucas’s filmmaking career. Other nods to cinematic history will also be on display—artifacts like movie posters, as well as screenings of documentaries featuring artists and filmmakers—making the Lucas Museum a nice complement to the Academy Museum on the other side of town.