ThatPainter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art blends art and nature through a biomorphic building, landscaped grounds, and outdoor sculptures that together form a visitor journey between park and galleries. The museum opened in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park on September 22, 2026; its grounds are presented as an extension of its visual-storytelling mission, not just as decoration.
A building that softens the boundary between indoors and outdoors
Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with Stantec, the 300,000-square-foot museum has a sculptural, biomorphic form. The Lucas Museum describes the architecture as softening the boundary between indoor and outdoor space. Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects, said, “The building’s biomorphic, dream-like form softens the boundary between indoor and outdoor, between architecture and park—because seeking a connection with nature is an innate human need.”
The building’s relationship to the park is part of the visitor experience: the architecture creates a threshold between the galleries and the surrounding landscape. Rather than treating the grounds as a separate frame around a monument, the museum describes the building and park as connected parts of the visit.
#1 Best Overall
Who designed the Lucas Museum gardens?
Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA designed the museum’s park and gardens. The Lucas Museum’s opening announcement describes 11 acres of park and gardens; a separate museum description calls the campus 13 acres. Those figures use different source wording, so they should not be treated as interchangeable measurements.
The museum’s landscape description lists indigenous and drought-tolerant plantings, more than 300 newly planted trees, a hanging garden, an amphitheater, a meadow, and a fountain conceived as a dramatic waterfall. Its contoured terrain echoes Los Angeles, while sequences of gardens draw on California’s foothills, valleys, mesas, and canyons.
The grounds replace a former asphalt parking lot. A development-stage museum account also describes rain harvesting for irrigation, in contrast with runoff previously entering the city sewer system. That is a stated design feature, not a quantified result: the available research does not establish measured water savings or independently assessed environmental performance.
Rank #2
- Gardner Museum Collection Guide
How the landscape connects to the art
The Lucas Museum describes its collection as a visual-storytelling tradition spanning cultures and centuries. Its inaugural exhibitions include more than 1,300 works across more than 30 galleries and over 100,000 square feet of exhibition space, according to the museum’s opening materials. The holdings bring together forms such as illustration, comics, cinema, and murals.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11The museum presents the visitor’s route through the grounds as part of that storytelling idea. Changes in terrain, vegetation, light, and scale are intended to evoke the setting, mood, and movement found in visual narratives. The museum characterizes the landscape as a journey of discovery that offers spaces for gathering and reflection as visitors move around and through the building.
These descriptions explain the institution’s design intent; they do not establish that the grounds have achieved a particular ecological or environmental outcome. The research materials provide no named independent ecological assessment, measured biodiversity outcome, quantified stormwater performance, or comparative environmental benchmark.
Art outside the galleries
The museum’s opening announcement reports ten monumental outdoor sculptures of narrative art. The Associated Press also described recognizable pop-culture sculpture among the garden paths. Together, the outdoor works and the landscaped route extend the museum’s subject beyond the gallery walls, although the available reporting does not establish a complete inventory of the sculptures.
At a glance
| Feature | What the sources report |
|---|---|
| Building | 300,000 square feet; designed by Ma Yansong of MAD with Stantec |
| Park and gardens | 11 acres in the opening announcement; a separate museum description calls the campus 13 acres |
| Landscape designer | Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA |
| Planting and features | Indigenous and drought-tolerant plantings, more than 300 newly planted trees, a hanging garden, amphitheater, meadow, and waterfall-conceived fountain |
| Inaugural exhibitions | More than 1,300 works across more than 30 galleries and over 100,000 square feet of exhibition space |
| Outdoor art | Ten monumental outdoor sculptures, according to the museum’s opening announcement |
Figures and features in this table are reported by the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in its 2026 opening announcement and official landscape description. The separate 11-acre and 13-acre descriptions are retained as stated rather than reconciled.
Recommended Free Tools
Planning a visit
The Lucas Museum is in Exposition Park, Los Angeles. The museum’s opening announcement says the park and gardens open at 8 a.m. and close at sunset. Museum hours, admission arrangements, and other visitor information can change, so check the museum’s current official visitor information before traveling.
Rank #4
FAQ
How does the Lucas Museum blend art and nature?
The museum connects a biomorphic building with landscaped grounds, outdoor sculptures, and a route the institution describes as a journey of discovery. Its stated concept links the changing landscape to the setting, mood, and movement used in visual storytelling.
Who designed the Lucas Museum building and gardens?
Ma Yansong of MAD designed the building with Stantec. Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA designed the park and gardens.
What are the gardens at the Lucas Museum like?
The museum describes indigenous and drought-tolerant plantings, more than 300 newly planted trees, a hanging garden, amphitheater, meadow, contoured terrain, and a fountain conceived as a waterfall. The grounds draw on California landforms including foothills, valleys, mesas, and canyons.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Best Value
How large are the Lucas Museum grounds?
The opening announcement calls the park and gardens 11 acres, while a separate official description calls the campus 13 acres. The sources use different terms, and the figures should not be silently combined.
Does the landscape have verified environmental benefits?
The museum describes rain harvesting for irrigation and drought-tolerant planting as design features. The reviewed sources do not provide independent assessment or quantified evidence of water savings, biodiversity, or other environmental outcomes.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
