THE ART BEHIND THE ICONS: ORIGINAL DREW STRUZAN WORKS HEAD TO ENTERTAINMENT AUCTION
Drew Struzan’s work helped define how generations of audiences first encountered some of cinema’s most beloved stories.
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LOS ANGELES , CA, UNITED STATES, August 18, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Propstore, one of the world’s leading entertainment memorabilia auction houses, will offer a collection of original artwork by legendary movie poster artist Drew Struzan as part of its Summer Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, taking place this month on August 26–29, 2026, in Los Angeles. The auction will offer more than 1,700 lots of film and television props, costumes, production material, autographed treasures, and other entertainment memorabilia, with a combined pre-sale estimate of $10 million. Collectors worldwide can participate through live online, absentee, and telephone bidding.
The late Drew Struzan is widely regarded as one of the most influential movie poster artists of all time. Across a career spanning more than four decades, he created artwork for over 150 films including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Blade Runner, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Shawshank Redemption. Celebrated for his distinctive combination of realism, composition and emotion, Struzan transformed film advertising into an enduring art form, creating imagery that became inseparable from the movies themselves.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
INDIANA JONES SERIES (1981–2023) Drew Struzan Original Hand-Painted “Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates” Book Cover Artwork Est. $40,000 – $80,000 (£30,000 – £60,000)
Created for Martin Caidin’s 1993 novel, the mixed-media artwork is signed and dated “92” by Struzan. It was also reproduced as a double-page spread in Oeuvre, the retrospective volume celebrating his career.
THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (1987) Drew Struzan-Signed and Hand-Painted Key Advertisement Artwork Est. $12,000 – $24,000 (£9,000 – £18,000)
Likely conceived as a poster for George Miller’s dark fantasy comedy, the signed artwork depicts Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon atop Jack Nicholson’s head. The image was ultimately used primarily in the film’s newspaper and magazine advertising campaign.
HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS (1987) Drew Struzan Final Advance Movie Poster Painting Est. $8,000 – $16,000 (£6,000 – £12,000)
Used for the film’s US one-sheet poster campaign, Struzan’s hand-painted artwork depicts Bigfoot’s hands gripping a splintered wall against the Seattle skyline. The image was later reproduced for the film’s 4K Blu-ray release.
WATERWORLD (1995) Drew Struzan-Signed and Hand-Painted Large Comprehensive Artwork Est. $8,000 – $16,000 (£6,000 – £12,000)
Created during the film’s poster campaign, this signed mixed-media composition represents a rarely seen alternative vision for the post-apocalyptic epic, although the design was ultimately not used for its theatrical release.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010) Drew Struzan-Signed and Hand-Drawn Poster Composition Est. $4,000 – $8,000 (£3,000 – £6,000)
Struzan came out of retirement to create individual poster artworks celebrating each film in the trilogy, coinciding with the 2019 release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
The four-day Live Auction runs from August 26 – 29, 2026, with global online, absentee, and telephone bidding available throughout the four days.
Day 1 (26 August): Begins at 09:30 AM PDT / 12:30 PM EDT / 05:30 PM BST. Public in-room bidding at The Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, as well as global online, absentee, and telephone bidding.
Days 2–4 (27-29 August): Begins at 09:00 AM PDT / 12:00 PM EDT / 05:00 PM BST. Live global online, absentee, and telephone bidding only.
Elsewhere in the auction, the headline lot is the only complete stop-motion animation gorilla puppet known to survive from the Academy Award®-winning classic Mighty Joe Young (1949). Estimated at $1 million – $3 million (£750,000 – £2.25 million), the historic production model will make its public auction debut on Day One, August 26, at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, after remaining in private collections for more than 70 years
Registration is now open, and the full catalog is available at https://propstoreauction.com/auctions/info/id/525
Brandon Alinger, Propstore COO, commented on the upcoming event: “Drew Struzan’s work helped define how generations of audiences first encountered some of cinema’s most beloved stories. His ability to capture character, emotion and adventure in a single image elevated film advertising into an art form. Propstore is honored to offer this remarkable selection of original works, spanning Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates, The Witches of Eastwick, Harry and the Hendersons, Waterworld and How to Train Your Dragon, and to celebrate the extraordinary legacy of an artist whose imagery remains inseparable from the films and stories it represents. ”
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Notes to Editors:
For further information, catalog images and expert interviews please contact:
Bethany Willetts | bwilletts@blazepr.com
Images are available in the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/l5ddjdl2fc0fl39xl28ky/ABWbSZt7YL7OonGe2b3kgf4?rlkey=hr16b46qd1polg26x99fs5z5p&dl=0
Credit: Propstore
About Propstore
Founded in 1998 by film enthusiast Stephen Lane, Propstore has grown from a collector’s passion project into one of the world’s foremost authorities on entertainment memorabilia. The company bridges the worlds of film, art, and collecting—offering access to authentic screen-used props, costumes, and production artefacts that bring cinematic history to life.
Working in close partnership with many of the world’s leading film studios, production companies, and entertainment brands, Propstore curates exclusive auctions and sales throughout the year, giving fans and collectors unparalleled access to items direct from the source.
Since 2014, Propstore has hosted globally acclaimed live auctions featuring artefacts from the greatest moments in film and television. Alongside its flagship events, Propstore also runs regular online auctions and studio collaborations, with more than 2,000 items available for immediate purchase at www.propstore.com
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Matthew Kovacs
Propstore
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