The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art officially opens to the public in Exposition Park on Sept. 22. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

After years of development, planning and construction, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art unveiled its galleries for the first time on Sept. 2, with a preview of thousands of works spanning cave etchings to Norman Rockwell paintings. The museum, a massive, curvilinear, space-like structure floating above Exposition Park, opens to the public on Sept. 22.

The museum’s founders, filmmaker and “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, and his wife, business executive Mellody Hobson, made an unannounced appearance at the preview.

Lucas said the highly anticipated opening represents decades of work that many believed was impossible.

“I’m a contrarian. I don’t like to do things that people think can be done. I’m fascinated by doing things that people say can’t be done,” Lucas said. “I’m used to doing the impossible. This one almost broke my will.”

With more than 30 galleries spread across several floors overlooking Exposition Park and Downtown Los Angeles, the museum’s expansive collection reflects Lucas’s ambitious mission – tracing the history of narrative art over thousands of years.

“The one question I get more than any other, and rightfully so, is, ‘What is narrative art?’” the museum’s senior curator Ryan Linkof said. “My answer is often that it is the art that surrounds us. It is the art and the visual culture that we consume every day, often without even realizing it. Newspaper photographs, advertisements, book covers, comic books, posters, street art, movies – they’re all examples.”

Each work of art in the eclectic Lucas Museum is part of a larger story, either real, fictional or somewhere in between. Some galleries explore broad themes like “work,” “love,” “community” and “family,” while others display visual works from storytelling genres including “comics,” “science fiction,” “fantasy” and “adventure.” Select galleries are also dedicated to individual artists, including Andrew Wyeth and Norman Rockwell. Unconventional surprises pop out around the corners – a playful Banksy work invites viewers to ask, “What happened here?” while massive windows provide panoramic views of Los Angeles.

Of course, there’s also Star Wars. The “cinema” gallery, located in the center of the museum, currently features an immersive display of costumes, props, vehicles and concept art from a galaxy far, far away. Many of Lucas’s most beloved characters, including C-3PO, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader stand tall to greet legions of “Star Wars” fans.

Exhibitions include a “Star Wars” gallery display with beloved characters from George Lucas’s legendary film franchise. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

“We wanted a museum unlike any other – one that brings people from every walk of life through the same doors,” Hobson said. “That’s why this collection holds so many different kinds of stories: so that more people can walk in and, somewhere in these galleries, see themselves – and the world they know – reflected back. That kind of recognition is what we built this place to offer.”

The building itself is a work of art open to interpretation. Rising 100 feet out of a former parking lot, the oblong, amorphous structure hovers in long white curves carefully landscaped with sweeping green space. Is it a spaceship? A cloud? Architect Ma Yansong said he welcomes any and all imaginative readings of the unique building.

“Designed with emotional architecture spaces, so that it is fluid in every part, and merged like a natural feature of the landscape into Exposition Park, the building invites everyone to participate in a journey of discovery and become part of the story of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art,” Yansong said.

The ground floor also includes a café and two theaters that will screen documentaries and experimental films. The rooftop Skywalker Grill will welcome visitors to dine with a sweeping view of the L.A. skyline. Across from the main lobby, a public library accessible without a museum ticket will allow curious readers to explore thousands of stories in a multi-level room overlooking the museum’s gardens.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art offers panoramic views of Los Angeles. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

“George Lucas and Mellody Hobson have an unshakeable faith in the power of visual storytelling to inspire not just individuals but entire societies, bringing people together around goals, beliefs and values worth sharing,” Lucas Museum CEO Tracey Bates said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to finally welcome the public through our doors. Every gallery, every program, every corner of this museum was built with our visitors in mind, and we can’t wait for people to experience it.”

After a 17-year journey to find a home and build the museum, Lucas said its purpose extends beyond the art displayed inside.

“A picture is very powerful, and the stories are very powerful, and you combine them together, and those two elements create a society,” Lucas said. “That’s why I wanted to build this, because narrative art creates a group of people with a common belief system, and that common belief system allows them to work together, not kill each other, and do things that one person can’t do.”

Landscape architect Mia Lehrer, museum CEO Tracey Bates, founders Mellody Hobson and George Lucas, architect Ma Yansong and curator Ryan Linkof appeared at the preview on Sept. 2. (photo by Tabor Brewster)