George Lucas’ $1 Billion Museum to Open After 17 Years of Construction

After nearly two decades of planning, setbacks and construction, filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, are finally preparing to open their ambitious Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles.

The $1 billion museum will officially open to the public on September 22, 2026, marking the end of a project that has taken about 17 years to complete. While fans will find plenty connected to Lucas’ legendary Star Wars franchise, the museum is not designed as a Star Wars attraction.

Located in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, the museum will explore how humans have used images to tell stories throughout history. Its collection spans paintings, photography, comics, illustrations, murals, manga, film materials and popular culture.

The opening exhibitions will feature more than 1,300 works across more than 30 galleries, with over 100,000 square feet dedicated to exhibition space.

Visitors will encounter works by artists including Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Vincent van Gogh, alongside comic art, illustrations and artifacts from Lucas’ film archives.

The futuristic museum occupies a roughly 300,000-square-foot building designed by architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects. Its unusual curved structure has been compared to a spaceship, cloud or organic landscape, while the surrounding 13-acre campus includes gardens, public spaces and more than 300 newly planted trees.

The project has faced years of delays and challenges. Lucas recently acknowledged that the long process had nearly broken his resolve. But after 17 years and an estimated $1 billion investment, the vision is finally becoming reality.

The museum will open to the public on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, giving visitors access to Lucas and Hobson’s collection and a new Los Angeles institution dedicated to visual storytelling.

For Lucas, the project represents an effort to give greater recognition to illustrators, comic artists, filmmakers and other creators whose work has traditionally received less attention in major art museums.