The new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is opening on September 22, 2026 and I AM SO EXCITED! I peruse the online collection every now and again, and I’m always blown away by how big George Lucas and Mellody Hobson’s collection is. Only fitting, as one of the living legends of myth-making.

I noticed that the collection he’s bringing to Los Angeles particularly focuses on illustration and comic art, and I particularly like how the museum even includes “narrative art” in its name. But this led me to wonder — what exactly is illustration? And how is it different from regular paintings?

According to absurd.design, 

Illustration is the art of creating images with a clear purpose: to explain, decorate, or support ideas. It transforms concepts into visuals that make information easier to understand and remember. Illustration art is created with the clear purpose of supporting communication. 

A painting may invite viewers to find their own meaning, while an illustration of a medical diagram or a children’s story leaves little room for doubt — it communicates a message directly.

I really love that definition of illustration and how its entire essence is meant to support communication, to further conversation, and to help one better understand the idea being conveyed.

Lineup drop

Look at this lineup of artists that’s a part of the Lucas collection, with links to my favorite pieces:

• N. C. Wyeth
  • * a new favorite of mine
• Jessie Willcox Smith
• Frank Frazetta
• George Herriman
• Jack Kirby
• Winsor McCay
• Norman Rockwell 

PLUS some contemporary artists:

• Jacob Lawrence
• Charles White
• Robert Colescott

And two who we’ve all heard of (their names speak for themselves, no linkage required):

• Diego Rivera
• Frida Kahlo

Architecture is cool

15 years in the making, the Lucas Museum is about to be one of the most thoughtfully designed SICKEST buildings in LA — 

Mia Lehrer and her team at Studio-MLA have transformed former parking lots into a living landscape. Native and drought-tolerant plantings, more than 200 new trees, and landforms inspired by the city’s geography create a shifting environment. Paths, meadows, and shaded gathering areas offer much-needed green space for the South Los Angeles region.

Architect Ma Yansong, founder of MAD, conceived the museum as a sculptural, organic form shaped by light, clouds, and the surrounding tree canopy. Rising from Exposition Park, it feels both grounded and ethereal, embodying the museum’s belief in imagination as a shared public resource.

Lifted above the ground, the museum engages with the street on a human scale, encouraging social interaction while preserving views of Exposition Park. 

WOOOOOOOOW, I can’t wait.