An Impossibly Starry Opening for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, tell me about this news in (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/style/lucas-museum-narrative-art-opening-los-angeles-party.html)

The New York Times report covers the star-studded opening celebration of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park, held ahead of its official public opening on September 22, 2026.

Key Highlights of the Opening & Museum

• The Gala Celebration: Co-founded by filmmaker George Lucas and businesswoman Mellody Hobson, the museum celebrated its debut with an ultra-high-profile gala on September 19, 2026. Reflecting Lucas’s vast cultural reach across Hollywood, art, and technology, the event’s co-chairs and attendees included Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Guillermo del Toro, Greta Gerwig, Sir Lewis Hamilton, Jensen Huang, JR, and Pharrell Williams.

• Architectural Marvel: Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects with landscape architecture by Mia Lehrer (Studio-MLA), the futuristic, 300,000-square-foot building resembles an organic, sleek vessel hovering over parkland. Its façade features over 1,200 uniquely curved fiberglass-reinforced polymer panels, complete with an open public plaza underneath and an oculus reaching up through the building.

• The Mission & Collection: Representing an investment of roughly $1 billion, the museum is dedicated specifically to the art of visual storytelling across cultures and centuries. Its collection of more than 40,000 works blends fine art, illustration, comics, photography, and film history.

• Featured Artworks:

  • Iconic 20th-century American illustrators and painters, including Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, Thomas Hart Benton, and Frida Kahlo.

  • Comic, manga, and fantasy masters, including Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, and Frank Frazetta.

  • Cinematic artifacts, including original props such as Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder.

  • Public works and murals by artists including Diego Rivera, Judith F. Baca, and Banksy.

• Campus Amenities: Alongside more than 30 exhibition galleries, the museum grounds feature two 299-seat theaters for continuous screenings, a public research library, expansive community gardens, and the signature rooftop restaurant, the Skywalker Grill.