Crowds of art enthusiasts and Star Wars superfans turned out Tuesday for the grand opening of George Lucas’s long-anticipated Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
The Los Angeles landmark was founded by the 82-year-old filmmaker and his wife and business partner, Mellody Hobson.
The futuristic building that resembles a starship was envisioned by the couple as a "people’s temple of art."
Eric Cheung, a dentist and realtor who arrived in a Star Wars X-wing pilot costume told AFP that "each art piece tells a story," and that "everybody can look at the same thing, and then we can create different stories."
The museum replaces a former parking lot next to the University of Southern California, where the filmmaker earned his first degree.
According to RTE, a local resident of the area in south Los Angeles was often tied to crime and poverty and sees the brand new building as a "positive attraction."
Right at the entrance, guests are welcomed by an iconic piece of cinematic history, a yellow Naboo N-1 starfighter from 1999's The Phantom Menace, reports have confirmed. Yet with over 9,300 square meters of gallery space, the collection spans well beyond George Lucas's famous galaxy.
Museum-goers told AFP that they love that Lucas is using his platform to "bring other artists together," and that "It's not just for him, he's using his name to help local artists and big artists come together."
