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Lucas Museum of Narrative Art to Open in Los Angeles on September 22, 2026

The $1 billion privately funded museum seeks to reframe comics, illustration and film props as 'narrative art' with free admission for children and residents of ZIP code 90037.

Overview

  • The museum will open to the public on September 22, 2026, after press previews this week and will present about 1,200–1,300 objects in roughly 30–35 galleries across a 300,000-square-foot MAD Architects building.
  • George Lucas and Mellody Hobson privately financed the project at an estimated cost of around $1 billion and supplied most of the inaugural collection drawn from their 40,000-piece holdings.
  • The building, designed by MAD Architects with landscaping by Studio-MLA, is a raised, curving structure with an oculus that sits in an 11–13 acre public park and houses two 299-seat theaters and a research library.
  • Admission is $25 for adults and $21 for seniors while children 17 and younger enter free, the on-site library is free for all visitors, and residents of ZIP code 90037 can register for an annual pass.
  • The long-delayed project carried controversies and operational strains including aborted San Francisco and Chicago plans, pandemic and construction setbacks, executive turnover and 2025 staff layoffs, and George Lucas has taken a prominent curatorial role that raises questions about future programming and educational priorities.