The painting that introduced Star Wars to the public nearly 50 years ago — later reproduced as the film’s iconic poster — sold at auction for USD 3.875 million.
The acrylic-and-airbrush work was created by artist and movie-poster designer Tom Jung and first ran in newspaper advertisements on May 13, 1977, just days before George Lucas’s space epic opened. It also appeared on billboards, in magazine ads and in theatre programs.
“For most of America, this was the first time they got a glimpse of the galaxy far, far away,” said Charles Epting, director of pop culture and historical consignments at Heritage Auctions.
Producer Gary Kurtz kept the original painting, hung it in his office and later passed it to his daughter. The Kurtz family consigned the piece to Heritage’s Dallas headquarters, where bidding opened at USD 1 million. The winning online bidder chose to remain anonymous.
Heritage said the sale set records both for the highest price paid for Star Wars memorabilia and for any movie poster artwork. Previously, the top sum for franchise memorabilia was USD 3.6 million for Darth Vader’s lightsaber.
The composition shows Luke Skywalker holding a raised lightsaber behind Princess Leia, with Darth Vader looming in the background. Another side depicts X-wing starfighters launching an attack; Han Solo and Luke are shown receiving medals. R2-D2 and C-3PO appear in the lower right corner — added at the last minute, Epting said — and are absent from the earliest reproductions but present on the poster and billboards produced around June or July 1977.
“You can watch the evolution of this piece and how they were figuring out what was important to include, what are we going to represent, what’s going to draw people in,” Epting said. He called the painting not only film memorabilia but a cultural artifact and part of American history, and said the emotional ties many feel to Star Wars help explain the high price.
“Anyone who’s seen these movies or the marketing materials around it — you see this piece, your heart starts racing,” Epting said.
AP
Washington, Updated At: 10:03 AM Dec 11, 2025 IST
