Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opens With ‘Star Wars,’ Banksy, Whimsy, and Views Galore

George Lucas and Mellody Hobson’s massive Lucas Museum of Narrative Art — the building designed by architect Ma Yansong that comprises 300,000 square feet and a 13-acre campus — has finally landed in Los Angeles, more than 16 years after they first conceived an enclave dedicated to visual storytelling.

Located in the city’s Exposition Park, adjacent to Lucas’ alma mater, University of Southern California, it opens Tuesday after earlier plans to open in San Francisco and Chicago fell through. After visiting its ultimate locale, its dazzling display of some 1,300 artifacts (the permanent collection houses more than 40,000 works) within 30 galleries feels perfectly at home.

“This has been a long haul,” Lucas, who along with his spouse Hobson has invested more than $1 billion into the project, admitted during a press preview ahead of its opening. He called himself a “contrarian” and added, “I’m fascinated by doing things people say can’t be done.”

Still, he said, the opening was a celebration to honor illustrators of stories, specifically myths as he looked to connect the thread that makes his museum different. “In the beginning, especially for a few thousand years, that was the only way you could tell a story, was with pictures.

“A picture is very powerful, and the stories are very powerful, and you combine them together, and those two elements create a society,” he added. “And that’s why I wanted to build this, because narrative art creates a group of people with a common belief system, and that common belief system allows them to work together, not kill each other, and do things that one person can’t do.”

There is a lot to take in. The undulating space unfolds like a labyrinth where it’s easy to get lost for hours, seemingly by design, while wandering the impressive collection. And while the through-line is “visual storytelling,” it can feel like there’s no curatorial rhyme or reason to what’s on view. Round one corner and a life-sized Cowardly Lion from Wizard of Oz greets you, round another and there’s a stunning self-portrait of Frida Kahlo from 1940 and elsewhere a photo of her taken in 1931; a collection of Banksy is displayed near a golf cart armed with torpedoes and guns appearing to mock Trump, complete with a bucket of KFC fried chicken and a hamburger sitting on the seat. What it lacks in cohesion, however, also attributes to its charm — it’s filled with childlike whimsy, wonder, and inspiration despite it feeling a bit disjointed.

Several galleries are dedicated to Illustrator icons such as Norman Rockwell, Jessie Willcox Smith, and Frank Frazetta. Other sections are grouped by topics, like Manga, Children’s Stories, Graphic Stories, Romance, Science Fiction, Love and Community, and Work. Pop culture figures ranging from Batman to Snoopy to an alien from Close Encounters of the Third Kind all make appearances.

Of course, central to Lucas’ legacy is Star Wars, and while the museum dedicates less than 10 percent of its space to the franchise, fans will find comfort from familiar characters. There are models of R2-D2 and C-3P0, alongside Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper. Wax figures of key characters are also scattered throughout. There are seven full-sized vehicles, which appeared on film, on display. Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder from the first film is among them.

Music aficionados will discover some works of interest scattered throughout the museum, with paintings depicting musicians from various eras, but the photography gallery is a must-visit. There, portraits of Louis Armstrong, Richard Avedon’s large-scale portrait of the Beatles from 1967, and Iaian MacMillan’s famous Abbey Road cover from 1969 are interspersed with powerful moments in history captured on film, like the 1968 Olympics Black power salute taken by John Dominis.

There are breathtaking views to take in around the museum as well, with level four boasting viewpoints from the north, south, and eastern sides of the building. At the center of the space and above the public plaza, a giant oculus provides more natural light. The Skywalker Grill on level 5 gives a rooftop vantage to patrons and despite its ultra-sleek looks, it eschews a multi-course menu exclusivity that could’ve easily been the choice in such a gorgeous room. Inside, large booths create intimate spaces within its cherrywood-wrapped walls. Its outdoor terrace features a sweeping panoramic view of the L.A. skyline, including the Hollywood sign.

There’s artwork to discover outside the museum’s walls if you take a jaunt through the sprawling gardens designed by landscaper Mia Lehrer. It’s where you can encounter Princess Leia strangling Jabba the Hutt with a chain among the featured bronze statues.

The “temple to the people’s art” as Lucas has called his namesake museum also houses two theaters and a library. Tickets to the museum are $25, with those under 18, active-duty military, and residents within the museum’s zip code admitted for free. The Park and gardens, store, Skywalker Grill, and café do not require a ticket to access.