From Oprah Winfrey and Christopher Nolan to Kim Kardashian and Robert De Niro: Inside the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Gala

During her introductory remarks at the opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on Saturday night, Mellody Hobson said her husband, famed “Star Wars” director George Lucas, was nervous about the evening’s turnout.

“This room is filled with our friends,” Hobson said. “Looking out at your faces, you have no idea how much you mean to us, how much you mean to us in every way. George kept saying, ‘Will this person come? Do you think that person will come?’ I said, ‘They will all come, George.’”

And come they did.

The powerhouse crowd was a melting pot of Hollywood, politics and business. The bold-faced names included Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Michael B. Jordan, Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee, Kim Kardashian, Cynthia Erivo, Christoper Nolan. Guillermo Del Toro, Peter Jackson, Denis Villeneuve, Edgar Wright, George R. R. Martin, Nicolas Cage, Doja Cat, Al Pacino, Francis Ford Coppola, Jon M. Chu, Vin Diesel, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Justin Trudeau, Keke Palmer, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Michael Bloomberg, Bob Iger, Dana Walden, Janelle Monae, Lee Daniels, Ariana Huffington, Tracee Ellis Ross, Zac Posen, Jon Batiste, Diane Warren, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, among many others.

Lucas said he wanted to create a cultural institution that honors illustrators. “When we started this museum, we would sort of tag it as a ‘temple to illustrators,’” he said.

He continued, “I’ve worked with hundreds of illustrators, and I will tell you that they are as talented as any artist I have ever met. This is a way of giving back to them something they’ve all wanted…The illustrators inevitably say the same thing, from R. Crumb to [Norman] Rockwell, they all say the same, ‘I wish I could be in a museum.’”

While Winfrey, Erivo, Kardashian and Rodriguez strolled through the galleries most of the heavy hitters made their way to the fifth floor Skywalker Grill restaurant. DiCaprio enjoyed sushi in a banquette with Al Pacino, Andrew Watt and David Furnish. Nolan bent over to say hello to a seated Coppola. Ron Howard and his daughter Bryce Dallas Howard took photos with Kardashian and her boyfriend, car racing champion Lewis Hamilton.

Building the $1.5 billion museum, which was entirely funded by Lucas and Hobson, came with plenty of headaches. In the 20 years since Lucas first proposed the idea, the museum was close to being located in San Francisco and then Chicago. Located in L.A.’s Exposition Park, the Lucas Museum features 1,200 works from Lucas’s 30,000-piece private art collection. Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, the five-story building, which is frequently described as a “spaceship,” is 300,000 square feet with 100,000 dedicated to 35 galleries and sits among a 13-acre campus.

“If your husband or spouse comes home and says they want to build a museum, I suggest your response is a hard no,” Hobson cracked.

She addressed critics who turn their noses up at illustrators. “If critics say a museum of narrative art is too much like a popcorn movie and not enough like an art film, well, we like popcorn movies in our family,” Hobson said to applause. “In fact, we love them.”

The opening night co-chairs included Julie Bell, Guillermo del Toro, Greta Gerwig, Sir Lewis Hamilton, JR, Steven Spielberg and Pharrell Williams. They all stood on stage as Queen Latifah emceed the opening remarks.

“I’m not pinching myself because I felt all the energy and pain of birthing it with George,” Hobson told me on the arrivals red carpet. “I still have a feeling of disbelief. How do we have a museum? It doesn’t quite make sense. Who thinks they’re ever going to say, ‘Come to my museum?’ And you especially don’t do that if you’re me and you’re the youngest of six kids of a single mom in Chicago. That in and of itself is a story. And those are the kinds of stories that are reflected on the walls of the museum.”

As the well-heeled crowd gathered in the lobby for the evening’s introduction, Latifah played cheerleader. “Paris has the Louvre, New York has the Met and now L.A. has its artistic equal – the Lucas,” she said to cheers and applause.

And with that comes inspiration. Erivo zeroed her eyes on “The Huntress (Lenda),” Julie Bell’s 1996 oil painting of eight-time Ms. Olympia winner Lenda Murray depicted as the Roman goddess of hunt, Diana. Snapping a photo of the the fantasy portrait, Erivo smiled, “We have to make a TV series about her.”

The evening’s program included a drone show narrated by Winfrey and Jackson and a performance by the Black Eyed Peas.

The museum opens to the public on Sept. 22.

• Michael B. Jordan

  

  Michael B. Jordan at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen

  

  Robert De Niro and Tiffany Chen at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Eboni Nichols and Queen Latifah

  

  Eboni Nichols and Queen Latifah at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• 

  Kim Kardashian at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Camila Cabello

  

  Camila Cabello at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala. 

• Doja Cat

  

  Doja Cat at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Keke Palmer

  

  Keke Palmer at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Judy Greer

  

  Judy Greer at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Kristin Hodge and Jon M. Chu

  

  Kristin Hodge and Jon M. Chu at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Lindsey Vonn

  

  Lindsey Vonn at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Liberty Ross and Jimmy Iovine

  

  Liberty Ross and Jimmy Iovine at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Samuel L. Jackson and Andy García

  

  Samuel L. Jackson and Andy García at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Jessica Oyelowo and David Oyelowo

  

  Jessica Oyelowo and David Oyelowo at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Arianna Huffington

  

  Arianna Huffington at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Cynthia Erivo

  

  Cynthia Erivo at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Bob Iger and Willow Bay

  

  Bob Iger and Willow Bay at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Mark Hamill and Marilou York

  

  Mark Hamill and Marilou York at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas

  

  Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Elle Key, Gavin Newsom and Keegan-Michael Key

  

  Elle Key, Gavin Newsom and Keegan-Michael Key at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Zac Posen and Tory Burch

  

  Zac Posen and Tory Burch at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Andrew Watt

  

  Andrew Watt at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Karen Bass

  

  Mayor Karen Bass at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Denis Villeneuve and Tanya Lapointe

  

  Denis Villeneuve and Tanya Lapointe at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Ted Sarandos, Greta Gerwig and Laura Dern

  

  Ted Sarandos, Greta Gerwig and Laura Dern at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Law Roach

  

  Law Roach at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Kim Kardashian

  

  Kim Kardashian at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Paul Pelosi and Nancy Pelosi

  

  Paul Pelosi and Nancy Pelosi at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Tracee Ellis Ross

  

  Tracee Ellis Ross at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala. 

• Takashi Murakami

  

  Takashi Murakami at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Lee Daniels

  

  Lee Daniels at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Eva Longoria and Gayle King

  

  Eva Longoria and Gayle King at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Pete Wentz

  

  Pete Wentz at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry

  

  Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Helen Hunt

  

  Helen Hunt at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Holly Robinson Peete, Rodney Peete, Chris Tucker and Destin Tucker

  

  Holly Robinson Peete, Rodney Peete, Chris Tucker and Destin Tucker at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Dana Walden and Matt Walden

  

  Dana Walden and Matt Walden at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Edgar Wright

  

  Edgar Wright at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Corey Gamble and Kris Jenner

  

  Corey Gamble and Kris Jenner at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Racer Rodríguez and Robert Rodriguez

  

  Racer Rodríguez and Robert Rodriguez at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Amanda Gorman

  

  Amanda Gorman at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Robert Zemeckis and Leslie Zemeckis

  

  Robert Zemeckis and Leslie Zemeckis at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Katie Jackson and Peter Jackson

  

  Katie Jackson and Peter Jackson at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Nicole Avant and Ted Sarandos

  

  Nicole Avant and Ted Sarandos at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Talie Shire and Francis Ford Coppola

  

  Talia Shire and Francis Ford Coppola at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Anthony Davis and Yvette Nicole Brown

  

  Anthony Davis and Yvette Nicole Brown at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Pharrell Williams

  

  Pharrell Williams at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• David Furnish

  

  David Furnish at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Lewis Hamilton

  

  Lewis Hamilton at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Briar Rose Christensen and Hayden Christensen

  

  Hayden Christensen and daughter Briar Rose Christensen at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Mellody Hobson and George Lucas

  

  Mellody Hobson and George Lucas at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Bryce Dallas Howard

  

  Bryce Dallas Howard at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Michael Bloomberg and Patricia E. Harris

  

  Michael Bloomberg and Patricia E. Harris at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Jay Huguley

  

  Jay Huguley at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Brian Grazer and Ron Howard

  

  Brian Grazer and Ron Howard at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Kerry Washington

  

  Kerry Washington at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Lilly Singh

  

  Lilly Singh at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.

• Janelle Monae

  

  Janelle Monae at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night Gala.