Tejal Somvanshi
The George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opened its doors to the public on September 22, 2026, in Los Angeles‘s Exposition Park. The museum occupies a 300,000-square-foot main building on a 13-acre campus—two figures that describe different elements of the project. The building’s interior floor area is 300,000 square feet; the 13-acre campus includes the building, outdoor sculpture installations, landscaped gardens, parking and walkways. The surrounding park and gardens are free to access. Museum admission is $25 for adults, $21 for seniors 65 and over, and free for children 17 and under. Advance timed-entry tickets are required for all visitors and are available through the museum’s official website; booking ahead is recommended.
Visitors planning a museum trip should use official opening information, ticketing instructions and visitor guidance rather than relying on early promotional descriptions. The museum’s scale and collection make it a significant Los Angeles cultural addition, but opening-day conditions, access arrangements and programming may affect the experience in its first weeks.
The George Lucas museum collection spans approximately 2,000 years of visual storytelling: ancient and medieval religious paintings, 19th-century illustration and magazine art, early film posters, and concept art and production pieces from the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. Lucas acquired the collection over decades with a specific focus—art that tells a story through image rather than art organized by period or nationality. The museum’s organizing principle distinguishes it from conventional encyclopedic museums like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Galleries are arranged by theme (mythology, history and conflict, family, futures and imagination) and cut across cultures and centuries to show how storytelling works across time. Interactive exhibits allow visitors to compare how artists from different eras visualized the same narratives.
The campus is adjacent to the Natural History Museum and the California Science Center in Exposition Park, making it a natural addition to a day visiting both. Public transit access is available via the Metro A Line. Parking is available on-site and in Exposition Park lots. A cafe operates inside with outdoor seating areas; lockers are available for bags. Guided tours can be reserved in advance through the museum website.
Designed by Beijing-based architect Ma Yansong, the building’s form features curved walls and interior courtyards that draw natural light into the galleries. The landscape includes native California plants and water-conservation features appropriate to Southern California’s climate. Visitors should set aside 3–4 hours for a thorough visit; the scale of the collection and building makes shorter visits feel rushed. Full exhibition schedules and special programs are available on the official museum website.
