A-list crowd gathers for museum debut

George Lucas and Mellody Hobson hosted the opening night of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, drawing Governor Gavin Newsom, Christopher Nolan, Michael B. Jordan, Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro.

Multi-stage event replaces traditional gala

Instead of a standard gala format, the night unfolded in stages: cocktails on the ground floor, remarks and a museum tour, then a drone show and Black Eyed Peas performance.

Massive floating structure in South LA

The museum sits in Exposition Park near USC with a cloud-like campus design that couldn't fit anywhere else in the city. Its scale allows Lucas to display his 40,000-piece collection.

Star Wars cast reunites at the event

Lucas assembled many prior Star Wars cast members including Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, and Hayden Christensen for the celebration.

Queen Latifah opens with emotional remarks

Queen Latifah gave opening remarks, saying the museum would change how we look at art. She compared it to the Louvre in Paris and the Met in New York.

“Paris has the Louvre. New York has the MET. And now LA has the Lucas Museum!”

What is narrative art exactly?

Narrative art encompasses illustrated stories from comic books to murals to Norman Rockwell paintings to film cells. It's a loose definition that lets Lucas share his vast collection.

Architect designed floating cloud structure

Architect Ma Yansong created a museum that appears to float like a cloud above Los Angeles. When Lucas saw the design, he didn't hesitate to approve it.

“When you show something like this to George Lucas. He doesn't say it's crazy. He says let's do it.”

Hobson addresses the journey to opening

Mellody Hobson spoke in an all-white sculptural gown about the challenges of building a museum. She noted Lucas wanted to showcase illustrators he felt were overlooked.

“George was driven to create a space that would showcase the brilliant illustrators that he thought were too often overlooked and ignored.”

Lucas defines art on his own terms

George Lucas spoke last, saying art is in the eye of the beholder. If something is emotional to you, then it's art, and you get to decide what art is.

“Art is in the eye of the beholder. If it is emotional to you, then it's art.”

Massive collection spans multiple floors

The fourth and fifth floors hold Japanese manga, Calvin and Hobbes first editions, and life-sized Star Wars ship models. Guests had ninety minutes to explore the sprawling galleries.

Celebrity guests tour the collection

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau strolled through galleries alongside Doja Cat, Miranda Kerr, and Evan Spiegel. Guests were awed by the scope and interconnected rooms.

Drone show lights up the night sky

Oprah Winfrey and Samuel L. Jackson narrated a drone show that etched images across the sky, including Banksy's Girl with Balloon, the Millennium Falcon, and Frida Kahlo's self-portrait.

Black Eyed Peas close out the party

The Black Eyed Peas performed inside after the drone show, playing hits like Let's Get It Started and Where Is the Love to cap off the celebration.

A night of spared no expense

The entire event embodied the Jurassic Park philosophy of sparing no expense. From the venue design to the performances, every detail reflected Lucas and Hobson's vision.