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The painting that introduced “Star Wars” to the world nearly 50 years ago, and which was reproduced on an iconic movie poster, sold at auction Wednesday for $3.875 million.
Artist and film poster designer Tom Jung’s acrylic and airbrush painting first appeared in newspaper advertisements on May 13, 1977, just under two weeks before the release of the space epic created by George Lucas. It also adorned billboards, magazine advertisements and theater programs.
“For most of America, this was their first glimpse of the galaxy far, far away,” said Charles Epting, director of pop culture and historical consignments at Heritage Auctions.
“Star Wars” producer Gary Kurtz kept the original painting and hung it on his office wall before passing it on to his daughter. The Kurtz family later put the work up for sale at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, where bidding began at $1 million.
The sale set records for best-selling memorabilia from the film franchise and generally for any piece of movie poster art, Epting said. The buyer, whose winning bid came through the website, chose to keep his identity private.
Before this, the highest price for franchise memorabilia was Darth Vader’s lightsaber, which sold at auction for $3.6 million.
“Star Wars” is one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time since its debut in 1977, starring Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. The original was followed by sequels and prequels, and spawned books, movies and other series. His fans spread all over the world.
One side of the painting shows Skywalker holding a lightsaber behind Princess Leia. Darth Vader looms over them in the background. On the other, a team of X-wing starfighters is launching an attack. Han Solo and Skywalker appear receiving medals.
In the lower right corner are R2-D2 and C-3PO, which were added at the last minute, Epting said. The droids are absent from early reproductions of the painting and appeared later when the film poster and billboard were produced. The exact date of the latter is unknown, but it was around June or July 1977, Epting said.
“You can see the evolution of this piece and how they were figuring out what was important to include, what we’re going to represent, what’s going to draw people in,” Epting said.
The painting is not only a cinematic memorabilia, but also a cultural artifact and part of American history, Epting said. The emotional connection people form with the “Star Wars” movies also helps explain the sales price, he said.
“Anyone who has seen these movies or the marketing materials surrounding them sees this piece and their heart races,” Epting said.
Tom Jung via AP