The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opened with a star-studded celebration in Los Angeles on Saturday (September 19), marking the culmination of filmmaker George Lucas and Mellody Hobson's years-long effort to create a museum dedicated to the power of visual storytelling.

The opening night event drew a crowd of actors, filmmakers, television personalities and civic leaders who gathered for a first look at the museum before it opens to the public on Sept. 22.

Founded by Lucas and Hobson, the museum explores storytelling through images, from prehistoric cave paintings and illustrations to comic art, murals and modern cinema. Built in Exposition Park, the institution houses more than 100,000 square feet of gallery space showcasing narrative art drawn from Lucas' extensive personal collection.

Media pioneer Oprah Winfrey described the museum as an extraordinary achievement decades in the making.

"Seeing this come to life and then visiting here as it was coming together, it's really one of the most incredible feats of a human being living on the planet, offering the rest of the world," she said. "It's like being able to walk through George Lucas' art diary, and we get to see it.”

Hobson told Reuters reaching opening night brought both relief and a sense of anticipation.

"I think it feels a bit like a relief because we've been sprinting to this moment, we've been working like crazy," she said. "But I think at the same time we feel it's just the beginning.”

She said the museum was born from Lucas' belief that many great illustrators and visual storytellers have historically been overlooked by major cultural institutions.

"It's really about the fact that George believed that there are brilliant illustrators who have been mostly overlooked in major institutions and he wanted them to have a home," Hobson said.

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill told Reuters Los Angeles was fortunate to become the museum's home after years of planning.

"We've been anticipating it. I know how long it's been planned," Hamill said. "Los Angeles is so lucky.”

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, a longtime friend and collaborator of Lucas, said the museum's focus on narrative art reflects the foundations of cinema itself.

"The fact that there was no sound gave us the chance to learn how to tell stories with just pictures," Coppola said of early filmmaking.

Several guests described the museum as an important addition to Los Angeles' cultural landscape. Mayor Karen Bass noted the opening comes less than two years before the city hosts the 2028 Olympic Games.

"This is just going to be a wonderful experience for Angelenos and for the whole world when they come here," Bass said.

Actor David Oyelowo told Reuters the museum arrives at a moment when artistic creation faces growing challenges from artificial intelligence and economic pressures in Hollywood.

"Artistry by actual people is a wonderful thing to see."

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 19, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. FILMMAKER AND CO-FOUNDER OF LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART, GEORGE LUCAS, STANDING NEXT TO HIS WIFE AND MUSEUM CO-FOUNDER, MELLODY HOBSON, AS THEY POSE FOR PHOTOS

2. LUCAS LOOKING ON WHILE POSING FOR PHOTOS

3. LUCAS WALKING

4. HOBSON WALKING AWAY WITH TV PERSONALITIES GAYLE KING AND OPRAH WINFREY

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TV PERSONALITY OPRAH WINFREY, SAYING:

"Seeing this come to life and then visiting here as it was coming together, it's really one of the most incredible feats of a human being living on the planet, offering the rest of the world. And the fact that it is him being able to share his own personal library, it's like of artistic accumulation. It's like being able to walk through George Lucas' art diary, and we get to see it.”

6. SIGN READING (English): “LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART”

7. VARIOUS OF ACTOR SAMUEL L. JACKSON POSING FOR PHOTOS

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR MARK HAMILL, STANDING WITH HIS WIFE MARILOU YORK, SAYING:

"Well, it's a great thrill. I mean, we've been anticipating. I know how long it's been planned. And it's hard to believe that it's here tonight, now, for the world to see. And Los Angeles is so lucky, because we weren't the first choice, but I think it's going to be just another thing for people to come see whether they want to go on the Universal Tour. Whatever it is that draws them to Los Angeles, this will be a big draw.”

9. ACTOR NICOLAS CAGE AND HIS WIFE RIKO SHIBATA POSING FOR PHOTOS

10. CAGE AND SHIBATA WALKING AWAY

11. ACTOR TRACEE ELLIS ROSS POSING FOR PHOTOS

12. LUCAS, HOBSON AND FILMMAKER GUILLERMO DEL TORO (LEFT) POSING FOR PHOTOS

13. LUCAS AND HOBSON POSING FOR PHOTOS

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MUSEUM CO-FOUNDER, MELLODY HOBSON, SAYING:

"I think it feels a bit like a relief because we've been sprinting to this moment, we've been working like crazy, but I think at the same time we feel it's just the beginning. And that's a bit daunting. It's never over. We're married to this building.”

15. VARIOUS OF ACTOR EVA LONGORIA POSING FOR PHOTOS

16. AMERICAN MEDIA EXECUTIVE BOB IGER ON CARPET

17. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MUSEUM CO-FOUNDER, MELLODY HOBSON, SAYING:

"It's really about the fact that George believed that there are brilliant illustrators who have been mostly overlooked in major institutions and he wanted them to have a home. He wanted their stories to have at home, the visual stories that they tell that are all of our stories, that our societies are bound together by, that our values are based on, and we tell people we're not here to tell you what to believe, but we're here to show you visually what we have believed as people.”

18. VARIOUS OF AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN AND FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER MAGIC JOHNSON ON THE CARPET

19. FILMMAKER FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA SPEAKING

20. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FILMMAKER FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA, SAYING:

"We were very lucky that cinema was born without sound because it just it might have very easily been born with sound, and the fact that there was no sound gave us the chance to learn how to tell stories with just pictures.”

21. COPPOLA SPEAKING WITH MEDIA

22. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FILMMAKER FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA (ON GEORGE LUCAS AND MELLODY HOBSON), SAYING:

"Well, they are wonderful. They are like my relatives, so I can't say, they're, he's like my brother and then, and she - my brother's wife."

23. VARIOUS OF TV PERSONALITIES DEBORAH ROBERTS AND AL ROKER POSING FOR PHOTOS

24. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TV PERSONALITY, DEBORAH ROBERTS, SAYING:

"I just, I think it's such an exciting moment, not just for LA, but for this country, and also for the two of them to such a selfless act to share a lot of what inspires them with the rest of the world, and I can't wait to get in and take a look at everything.”

25. ROBERTS AND ROKER POSING FOR PHOTOS

26. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TV PERSONALITY AL ROKER, SAYING:

"Well, I think it's about time. You know, listen, we have always been drawn to the visual. I mean you look at cave drawings, you look at hieroglyphics, you know, billboards. All these things that connect us visually have been so important, but for somebody, for these two people, you know, Mellody and George, to bring that under one roof is really something that's been long overdue. And I think to a certain extent, not given its full due.”

27. TV PERSONALITY KIM KARDASHIAN POSING FOR PHOTOS

28. KARDASHIAN AND KRIS JENNER POSING FOR PHOTOS

29. VARIOUS OF TV PERSONALITY KRIS JENNER WITH HER PARTNER COREY GAMBLE

30. KARDASHIAN WALKING CARPET

31. KING SPEAKING WITH MEDIA

32. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TV PERSONALITY GAYLE KING (ON GEORGE LUCAS CREATING A MUSEUM LIKE THIS), SAYING:

"Could there be anybody else who could do that other than George Lucas? I'll go first. No. Make sense.”

33. ACTOR HELEN HUNT WALKING ON CARPET

34. FILMMAKER RON HOWARD AND HIS DAUGHTER, ACTOR BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD, POSING FOR PHOTOS

35. SINGER KATY PERRY BLOWING KISS / PERRY WALKING TO HER PARTNER, FORMER CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU, POSING FOR PHOTOS BEFORE WALKING AWAY TOGETHER

36. ACTOR VIN DIESEL POSING FOR PHOTOS

37. HOWARD SPEAKING WITH MEDIA WITH VIN DIESEL IN BACKGROUND

38. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR DAVID OYELOWO, SAYING:

"But to see this come to fruition. I mean, the amount of innovation both George and Mellody have applied, putting their money into this stuff and celebrating movies and artistry, almost in the ways that patrons of the arts in the past did, and in a world where artistry is being challenged right now by artificial intelligence and the contraction within Hollywood. To have something like this that is a true celebration of that. Artistry by actual people is a wonderful thing to see.”

39. LOS ANGELES MAYOR KAREN BASS SPEAKING WITH MEDIA

40. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES MAYOR KAREN BASS, SAYING:

"Well, you know what, I think it means everything for Los Angeles to have this museum that we have waited for 10 years for to finally open and to open just two years, less than two years for the Olympics to come. It's just triple excitement. And you know what? The building in and of itself is spectacular. And then the artwork inside, so this is just going to be a wonderful experience for Angelenos and for the whole world when they come here.”

41. VARIOUS OF SINGER JANELLE MONAE SPEAKING WITH MEDIA

42. FILMMAKER JON CHU AND HIS WIFE KRISTIN HODGE POSING FOR PHOTOS

43. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FILMMAKER JON CHU, SAYING:

"I mean, first of all, I went to school right there, and all, you know, when you grow up, everyone's like, oh, you want to be a filmmaker, oh god, oh what is that? And to have a place that honors the work that we've done over the years, but the history of the things that you knew had such a big impact on you as a kid and on the world and the history is so beautiful. George and Mellody are doing legacy stuff here for generations to come.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 2, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

44. (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART AT SUNRISE

45. STAR WARS COLLECTION INCLUDING DARTH VADER FIGURE

46. STAR WARS COLLECTION INCLUDING R2-D2 AND C-3PO

47. (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART