The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is led by founders Mellody Hobson, left, and George Lucas, and CEO Tracey Bates. (photo courtesy of Getty Images/Lucas Museum of Narrative Art)

After eight years of construction and decades of collecting, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opened its doors to the public on Sept. 22 in Exposition Park. The museum’s wide-ranging focus – tracing visual art over thousands of years, countless genres and hundreds of artists – reflects the vision of its founders, filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson.

“Art is in the eye of the beholder,” Lucas said at a star-studded opening gala on Sept. 19. “If it is emotional to you, then it’s art… I believe it, wholeheartedly, that you get to decide what art is.”

As a filmmaker and storyteller behind some of cinema’s most iconic characters – Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Indiana Jones – Lucas’ career has been defined by larger-than-life ambition. He said his latest project – originally planned for San Francisco then Chicago before finally finding a home in Los Angeles – “almost broke my will.”

“This to me is the greatest thing he’s done since ‘Star Wars,’” said Steven Spielberg, a frequent collaborator with Lucas and the original director behind the Indiana Jones franchise.

“I have seen George’s relentless energy, his refusal to compromise, his creative pain,” Hobson said. “I mean, this museum is a director’s cut. I call it a museum by the people for the people, he calls it a museum of the people’s art, the key word is ‘people.’”

In addition to Lucas, Spielberg and Hobson, the gala brought together dozens of filmmakers, actors, musicians, cultural icons and leaders to celebrate L.A.’s newest institution dedicated to the art of storytelling. Attendees included Mayor Karen Bass, Jon Batiste, Francis Ford Coppola, Laura Dern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cynthia Erivo, Harrison Ford, Greta Gerwig, Mark Hamill, Samuel L. Jackson, Kim Kardashian, Kathleen Kennedy, Alicia Keys, Spike Lee, George R.R. Martin, Christopher Nolan, Nancy Pelosi, Katy Perry, Wolfgang Puck, Meg Ryan, Justin Trudeau, Pharrell Williams and Oprah Winfrey.

Museum CEO Tracey Bates said she hopes the $1 billion institution will change how visitors think about art, storytelling and the images that shape everyday life.

“Visual storytelling is such an incredible part of human history,” Bates said in an interview, adding that the museum seeks to elevate artists and forms of storytelling that have not always received the same recognition as traditional fine art. “Norman Rockwell might be revered now, but obviously, like many artists at the time, he was just seen as simply an illustrator. But Norman Rockwell was illustrating our lives.”

The museum brings together forms of art that have often occupied very different places in culture. Across more than 30 galleries and 100,000 square feet of exhibition space, paintings and photography appear alongside comic books, graphic novels, illustration, murals and cinema.

Rather than separating those mediums, Bates said the museum asks visitors to consider them as parts of the same tradition.

“The way this museum is curated to house things like comic books next to Renaissance art, next to incredible works of Frida Kahlo, through to Judy Baca in murals – we’re telling stories through even the way this is curated, and that’s just different,” Bates said. “We’re not focused on a film or a particular area of art. It really is just about storytelling through the ages.”

The museum’s inaugural exhibitions include more than 1,300 works drawn largely from the collection assembled by Lucas and Hobson, which numbers more than 40,000 works. Only six pieces in the opening installation are loans, Bates said.

Artists represented range from Vincent van Gogh, Jacob Lawrence and Rockwell to Charles Schulz, Frank Frazetta, Gordon Parks, Diego Rivera and Baca. The museum also explores comic books, manga, graphic novels, photography, murals and cinema. A gallery devoted to film currently features “Star Wars in Motion,” with concept designs, props and costumes associated with vehicles from the first six “Star Wars” films.

Although Lucas’ name is inevitably associated with “Star Wars,” Bates said the scale and range of the collection are likely to surprise visitors.

“It really is so much more than ‘Star Wars,’” she said. “There’s graphic storytelling, film and art. There’s so much in here.”

The museum’s exploration of narrative art begins with early forms of human visual storytelling, including reproductions of cave paintings, religious imagery and archaeological objects.

Bates said one of her favorite areas is the Everyday Life Gallery, where works explore recurring themes such as love, motherhood, childhood, sports and play.

Her favorite individual work, she said, is John Falter’s “Drive-In Movie in the Rain,” an image of moviegoers watching a film from their cars.

“It’s actually one of the reasons I decided to make the move to L.A.,” Bates said. “It’s such an iconic image. It really romanticizes L.A. in a way, and the history of storytelling here.”

Built in Exposition Park, the 300,000-square-foot museum sits among institutions including the California Science Center, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and California African American Museum. Bates said its location in South Los Angeles offers an opportunity to bring both new visitors and new cultural resources to the area.

“We really hope we can bring some people that even haven’t been served by the area before,” Bates said. “We can bring them here, and hope that once they’ve visited us, they’ll visit our neighboring museums as well.”

The museum’s 13-acre park and gardens are free and open to the public without a museum ticket. Designed by Mia Lehrer and Studio-MLA, the landscape replaced an asphalt parking lot with more than 300 trees, an amphitheater, meadow, fountain and outdoor sculptures.

Residents of the surrounding 90037 ZIP code are also eligible for free museum admission through the LM37 pass. Thousands of neighbors, community organizations, local business owners and civic leaders were invited to preview the museum on Sept. 13 ahead of the public opening.

“We’ve brought this amazing green space to South Central, which you don’t even need a ticket for. Everybody can enjoy the parks and gardens without a ticket to the museum,” Bates said.

The institution also includes two theaters with continuous film programming, classroom and studio spaces and a free research library. The library contains more than 30,000 comic books, selections from the former Lucasfilm Research Library and approximately 2,900 volumes from the personal library of mythologist Joseph Campbell, whose work on the “hero’s journey” famously influenced Lucas.

Bates said the generations of artists, filmmakers and creatives in Los Angeles make the city a natural home for an institution devoted to storytelling.

“We really want to inspire,” Bates said. “The museum is really about coming in, feeling a sense of inspiration and feeling a sense of home.”

She said that while walking through the museum before its opening, she frequently noticed connections between works in the collection and artists who came after them – including the influence of illustrator Frank Frazetta on Lucas and the ways comic art helped inspire filmmakers such as museum trustee Guillermo del Toro.

Asked what success might look like decades from now, Bates said she hopes the museum continues to develop new forms of storytelling through its exhibitions, programming and education. She added that the museum will announce its visitor programming later this year, and educational programming in 2027.

“George has always pushed the boundaries on what his vision is,” Bates said. “We are opening with a vision, and we will continue to push that vision so that we’re always pushing the boundaries and inspiring people.”

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is located at One Lucas Plaza.

For information and tickets, visit lucasmuseum.org.

The collection features artwork from magazine covers, including George Hughes’ “Home at Last,” a 1951 cover for the Saturday Evening Post. (photo courtesy of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art)