George Lucas Says Delayed $1 Billion Museum 'Almost Broke My Will'

Key Points:

• George Lucas, co-founder of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, described the 17-year effort to build the $1 billion museum as his toughest challenge, citing multiple setbacks including city rejections, pandemic delays, and bureaucratic hurdles.
• The museum, opening September 22 in Los Angeles near USC, features a 300,000-square-foot, five-story building designed by Ma Yansong, surrounded by 13 acres of gardens, and includes galleries, theaters, a research library, classrooms, a café, and a rooftop restaurant.
• Its inaugural collection showcases over 1,300 objects from more than 40,000 works, blending fine art and popular imagery, with pieces by artists like Frida Kahlo and Banksy, and a dedicated but limited Star Wars exhibition emphasizing the museum's broader focus on narrative art.
• Lucas emphasized the museum's mission to honor illustrators and storytellers, highlighting the power of images and stories to create shared beliefs and social cohesion, describing narrative art as foundational to society.
• Admission is set at $25 for general visitors, free for those 17 and younger, and free for residents of the local 90037 ZIP code through a special pass, with co-founder Mellody Hobson describing the institution as "a museum by the people, for the people."