On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, the long-awaited George Lucas museum opens to the public in Los Angeles. It brings paintings, comics, illustration and cinema into one story about visual art. The project spans 27,870 square metres across five floors in Exposition Park, or about 13 acres, and has an estimated budget of 1 billion dollars.
The premise is straightforward: stories can be told through several kinds of visual art at once. ABC News describes the museum in similar terms. Cave paintings, sculpture, comics, photography, films and murals all contribute to a history of visual storytelling.
The building makes that idea visible. Its futuristic, spacecraft-like shape rises above a landscaped public space, while a large oculus opens the complex to the sky.
The museum was conceived nearly 17 years before opening to the public. NBC News reported that the project had almost broken Lucas's will.
More than 1,300 works fill over thirty galleries. The collection includes Artemisia Gentileschi, Vincent van Gogh, Beatrix Potter, George Bellows and Norman Rockwell. It also features Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Robert Colescott, Frank Frazetta, Ernie Barnes and Robert Crumb.
LAmag reports that the finished building has 35 galleries, two theatres and spaces for events.
The museum does not trace art history in a straight line. Its galleries follow five themes: comics, childhood stories, fantasy, history and community. Paintings appear beside Walt Disney panels, manga, Pikachu drawings, Robert Capa photography and the image known as La niña afgana. One of the most striking works is a powerful portrait of Barack Obama seen from behind.
That mix defines the museum. It puts the visual language of popular culture in conversation with painting, photography and historical art. The Associated Press reports that works by Banksy, Frida Kahlo and Norman Rockwell sit beside objects tied to comics and pop culture. The line between fine art and popular imagery is meant to remain open.
The museum has announced measures to widen public access. Daily News reports admission of $25 for adults and $21 for seniors, with free entry for children under 17 and active-duty military personnel. Some South Los Angeles communities are also eligible for free visits.
Technology extends the collection to works that could not be brought to Los Angeles. Immersive installations recreate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the Toros Alados con Cabeza Humana from the Palace of Sargon II at the Louvre, and ancient cave paintings linked to the Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira in Spain.
Lucas's film archive is likely to draw cinema fans. Established in 1983 at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California, it covers more than four decades of work tied to George Lucas's creative vision.
Visitors will see major objects from Star Wars and Indiana Jones, including Darth Vader's costume, the R2-D2 robot and C-3PO's costume.
The complex also operates as a public venue alongside its exhibition spaces. Two cinemas can hold almost 300 people and will show films continuously. A library offers publications for all ages to read inside the museum; the books cannot be borrowed.
LAmag also lists a café, restaurant, shop and dedicated event spaces among the campus facilities.
The fifth floor is devoted to murals and includes a gallery of previously unseen works by Banksy. Street art and political activism sit alongside the museum's historical and cinematic holdings under the same focus on visual storytelling.
The public opening follows a private gala held on September 19, 2026. Mark Hamill, Samuel L. Jackson, Francis Ford Coppola and Spike Lee attended, information from NBC News, ABC7 and The New York Times. The guest list linked the museum to both a major cultural institution and Hollywood's creative community.
The museum's five thematic routes bring original objects together with digital recreations. Its premise is that narrative art can put old masters, comics, photography, cinema and street art in the same field. Star Wars is part of that story, with popular imagery given the same architectural and curatorial weight as the traditional canon.
