Yoda Meets Frida Kahlo: George Lucas' $1 Billion Museum Isn't Just for Star Wars Fans

A brand-new museum unlike anything else in the world has opened in Los Angeles, California. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art was created by Star Wars director George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson. The building cost a reported $1 billion and covers 300,000 square feet next to the University of Southern California campus. It looks so futuristic that one taxi driver called it a spaceship.

The museum does include some Star Wars items. Visitors can pose next to Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder and Anakin's Podracer from the films. But Lucas wanted the place to tell a much bigger story — the history of storytelling through pictures, from ancient cave paintings to modern comic books.

The museum mixes fine art and popular art in surprising ways. A self-portrait by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo hangs across from a Batman costume used in The Dark Knight. Works by Van Gogh and Picasso share space with original Peanuts comic strips and fantasy paintings by Frank Frazetta.

Lucas said at a press conference that he built the museum to honor artists who tell stories through images. 'A picture is very powerful, and stories are very powerful, and you combine them together, and those two elements create a society,' he said. He believes everyday illustrators deserve as much respect as famous old masters.

Getting the museum built took a very long time and was full of setbacks. Lucas first tried to build it in San Francisco, then Chicago, but both plans fell through because he refused to change his vision. In the end, the museum opened right across the street from USC, where Lucas studied filmmaking as a young man.

Lucas said it had been a 'long haul' of 17 years, including getting turned away from two cities and then eight years of construction. He described himself as a 'contrarian' — someone who enjoys doing things others say are impossible. 'I'm used to doing the impossible… but this one almost broke my will,' he said.

Some critics argue that 'narrative art' is not a real art category and that the museum needs to better explain its works. CEO Tracey Bates said the choice to let the art speak for itself was very much on purpose. 'You shouldn't have to be told what is happening, because what you see in it will evoke some sort of engagement,' she said.

Bates noted that Star Wars materials make up only seven percent of the museum. She said the Star Wars gallery will be regularly updated with different items from Lucas's large collection. 'George himself will tell you he did not want it to be about himself,' she explained.

Walking through the galleries raises a bigger question: Is this museum preserving a dying skill? Today, computers and machines produce much of the art we see every day. Artists like Norman Rockwell, who once painted original magazine covers almost every week, represent a way of working that has largely disappeared.

Architect Ma Yansong designed the building to look like drifting clouds above Los Angeles. He and Lucas both love science fiction and nature, and that shared vision shaped the design. Outside, 13 acres of gardens hold sculptures of Yoda, Princess Leia, and other characters from Lucas's films.

Ma said the curved shape of the building is 'almost like a belly' — meant to make visitors feel safe and warm. He said the design reflects his hopeful view of the future. 'I don't think the future is cold, like a machine or an abandoned factory,' he said. 'It should be warm, human and intimate.' The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art officially opens on September 22.