Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opens with Unconventional Collection and Space-Age Design
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, opening on Sept. 22 in Los Angeles, showcases 1,300 works by 20th-century illustrators, cartoonists and painters in a 300,000-square-foot building designed to resemble a spacecraft.
Los Angeles will welcome the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on Sept. 22, featuring a 300,000-square-foot structure designed by architect Ma Yansong that resembles a futuristic spacecraft. The museum, funded by filmmaker George Lucas and co-founder Mellody Hobson, houses about 1,300 original works ranging from Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth to comic-strip creators such as Charles Schulz and Garry Trudeau.
The ground floor presents an introductory exhibit titled “The History of Narrative Art: Heroes, Myths, the Sacred,” which uses high-resolution screens to display prehistoric cave paintings and reproductions of works from institutions such as the Louvre and the Vatican. A separate gallery displays a collection of “Star Wars” vehicles and costumes, but the museum’s primary focus is on narrative-driven illustration and popular visual culture rather than a dedicated franchise showcase.
Galleries are organized by themes—work, community, motherhood, sports, civic life—rather than by traditional art-historical categories. This approach places cartoonist Rose O’Neill, known for the Kewpie dolls, alongside painters like Vincent van Gogh, underscoring the museum’s intent to treat popular and fine art with equal regard. Senior curator Ryan Linkof noted that a loan of Norman Rockwell’s “The Problem We Live With” was included because it aligns with the museum’s emphasis on works that evoke collective memory.
Critics have described the museum’s “narrative art” label as a newly coined category. Former Times art critic Christopher Knight previously called it “a made-up category” intended to give cohesion to a varied collection. Museum representatives have responded that they aim to present “the people’s art,” focusing on pieces that foster emotional connection and shared cultural experience.
In addition to exhibition spaces, the venue offers a rooftop restaurant, a garden with fountains and statues, and family-friendly amenities. The Lucas Museum seeks to broaden public engagement with visual storytelling while challenging conventional hierarchies in the art world.