The post Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opens in Los Angeles: What Visitors Need to Know About the New Cultural Landmark first appeared on Crafting Your Home.
Los Angeles has welcomed a major new cultural destination as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens its doors to the public in Exposition Park.
The museum officially opened on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, marking the beginning of public operations at the long-awaited institution founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson.
September 23 represents the museum’s first regular Wednesday open to visitors, with standard public hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Located at One Lucas Plaza, 3800 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, California, the museum introduces a new approach to exploring art by focusing on the ways humans tell stories through images.
Its collection brings together traditional fine art, illustration, comics, photography, murals, animation and cinema under one theme: narrative storytelling.
For visitors planning a trip, the museum offers more than galleries. The five-story building includes theaters, a public research library, dining options, a museum store and a landscaped public campus designed as part of the overall experience.
A new museum built around storytelling
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is based on the idea that storytelling through images is a universal human tradition.
Rather than organizing its exhibitions only by time period or artistic movement, the museum connects different forms of visual storytelling. Visitors can move from ancient sculpture and historical paintings to comic art, illustrations, photography, murals and cinematic creations.
In simple terms, narrative art is art that communicates a story, character, event, idea or imagined world through visual forms.
That means a Renaissance painting, a comic panel, a movie design, a photograph or a mural can all be viewed through the same lens: how images communicate stories.
The museum says its opening exhibitions explore narrative traditions across different cultures and eras, bringing together forms of art that are often separated in traditional museum settings.
Inside the 300,000-square-foot museum
The Lucas Museum is housed in a 300,000-square-foot building designed by architect Ma Yansong, founder of MAD, with landscape design by Mia Lehrer’s Studio-MLA.
The museum sits on a 13-acre campus in Exposition Park and includes approximately 100,000 square feet of gallery space. The building contains more than 30 galleries and installations, along with two cinematic theaters.
The surrounding landscape is designed as an extension of the museum experience, with gardens and outdoor spaces that visitors can access even without entering the galleries.
The campus also includes the Skywalker Grill restaurant, a café and a museum shop. These areas do not require a museum admission ticket, making parts of the destination accessible even for visitors who are not attending exhibitions.
What visitors can see inside the museum
The opening exhibition program includes more than 1,300 works spread across more than 30 galleries and installations. The opening displays explore a wide range of storytelling traditions, including historical works, illustration, comics, photography, murals and cinema.
One major exhibition, “The History of Narrative Art: Heroes – Myths – The Sacred,” explores how stories about heroes, beliefs, communities and societies have been represented through visual art across history.
Other galleries focus on themes such as adventure, fantasy, romance and science fiction, bringing together different styles of storytelling across multiple mediums. The museum’s opening program includes works connected to artists such as Frida Kahlo, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White and Robert Colescott.
Visitors interested in popular culture can also explore “Star Wars in Motion,” a cinema exhibition featuring designs, props and costumes from the first six Star Wars films.
The museum also offers ongoing film programming in its two theaters, including cinema, animation, documentary and experimental film selections.
A collection spanning art, comics and cinema
The Lucas Museum’s founding collection contains more than 40,000 works, although not all pieces are displayed at the same time. The opening exhibitions feature a smaller selection of more than 1,300 works.
The collection includes major categories such as illustration, comics, modern and contemporary art, photography and murals.
Artists represented in the collection include:
- Norman Rockwell
- Jessie Willcox Smith
- Maxfield Parrish
- Andrew Wyeth
- Winsor McCay
- George Herriman
- Jack Kirby
- R. Crumb
- Frida Kahlo
- Jacob Lawrence
- Charles White
- Robert Colescott
The museum’s goal is to show how different creative forms can communicate human experiences and stories, whether they come from traditional painting, graphic storytelling or film.
Tickets, hours and what visitors should know
Visitors planning to explore the museum should know that timed tickets are required for all guests, including members and accompanying children.
Current admission prices are:
- Adults: $25
- Seniors 65 and older: $21
- Children 17 and younger: Free
The museum is open Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the final entry allowed 45 minutes before closing.
Visitors should reserve tickets ahead of time, as availability can change depending on demand.
While museum admission is required for exhibitions, visitors can access several areas without a ticket, including:
- The public gardens
- The museum store
- Skywalker Grill
- The café
How to get to the Lucas Museum
The museum is