stunning array of hand-painted and hand-drawn masterpieces. The collection spans decades of cinematic history, featuring legendary artwork from Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates, The Witches of Eastwick, Harry and the Hendersons, Waterworld, and How to Train Your Dragon.
Leading entertainment memorabilia auction house Propstore kicks off its highly anticipated Summer Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction in Los Angeles today, running from August 26 to 29, 2026. Headlining this year’s event is a rare collection of original masterpieces by legendary movie poster illustrator Drew Struzan. The massive four-day event boasts over 1,700 curated lots of iconic film and television props, costumes, production gear, and rare autographs, carrying an aggregate pre-sale valuation exceeding $10 million. Global collectors can jump into the action live online, via telephone, or through absentee bidding.
Rebounded as one of cinema’s most defining visual orchestrators, Drew Struzan spent over forty years reshaping the landscape of movie marketing. With a portfolio containing artwork for upwards of 150 foundational titles—including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Shawshank Redemption—his unique ability to balance vivid realism with profound emotional composition effectively elevated commercial advertising into a celebrated art form.
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)
Originally commissioned for Martin Caidin’s 1993 book, this spectacular mixed-media piece features Drew Struzan’s personal signature and a “92” date stamp. Adding to its prestige, the artwork was prominently showcased as a double-page spread in Oeuvre, the comprehensive retrospective volume dedicated to 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)
Thought to be an early theatrical poster concept for George Miller’s cult comedy, the signed piece depicts stars Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Susan Sarandon perched atop Jack Nicholson’s head. The artwork was later repurposed as the centerpiece for the movie’s print ads in magazines and newspapers.
● HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS (1987) Drew Struzan Final Advance Movie Poster Painting Est. $8,000 – $16,000 (£6,000 – £12,000)
Serving as the foundation for the movie’s domestic one-sheet poster campaign, Struzan’s hand-painted masterpiece vividly showcases Bigfoot’s massive hands tearing through a fractured wall against a panoramic Seattle backdrop. Proving its enduring legacy, the iconic image was later brought back to anchor the film’s premium 4K Blu-ray physical release.
● WATERWORLD (1995) Drew Struzan-Signed and Hand-Painted Large Comprehensive Artwork Est. $8,000 – $16,000 (£6,000 – £12,000)
Crafted during production for the film’s advertising campaign, this signed mixed-media piece showcases a rare, alternative visual take on the post-apocalyptic film. The unique design was ultimately shelved and never utilized for the movie’s official theater rollout.
● HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010) Drew Struzan-Signed and Hand-Drawn Poster Composition Est. $4,000 – $8,000 (£3,000 – £6,000)
Strikingly, the illustrator paused his retirement to hand-craft a trilogy of individual posters, a creative celebration timed directly with the 2019 theatrical debut of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
The four-day live auction officially opens today and runs through August 29, 2026, offering continuous access for global participants to place online, absentee, or telephone bids across the entire event.
● 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.
Beyond the poster art, the auction’s crown jewel is the only known surviving, fully intact stop-motion gorilla puppet from the Oscar-winning 1949 classic Mighty Joe Young. Valued between $1 million and $3 million, this legendary production model is making its public auction debut today, August 26, live at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, ending more than seven decades in private hands.
Registration is now open, and the full catalog is available at https://propstoreauction.com/auctions/info/id/525
Commenting on the pieces hitting the auction block today, Propstore COO Brandon Alinger celebrated the artist’s unique talent for blending narrative emotion with visual promotion. “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.”
