Original Art from E.T., Blade Runner, Aladdin on Display in Reston

Area film lovers may be flocking to ArtInsights in Reston Town Center over the next few weeks to check out the original art from the films E.T., Blade Runner and more that is on display.

John Alvin, an artist who created many movie posters during his career, created the work currently on display. Work includes graphites, mixed media and finished key art used in the making of films such as Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, as well as “The Star Wars Concert” poster.

The artwork has never been displayed to the public before, said gallery owner Leslie Combemale in a press release. She said the exhibit is a rare opportunity to see the process involved in making movie campaign art. The exhibit is on display through Jan. 2, 2012.

More information from the press release:

John Alvin is responsible for some of the most famous movie posters from the last 30 years, including E.T., Blade Runner, The Lion King, and Young Frankenstein, and more than 200 other films.  He created art for numerous Star Wars film promotions and events.  He died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2008, but left a remarkable body of work representative of an era where movie posters where created almost exclusively with hand drawn illustration.  Now almost all posters are created digitally, making Alvin and his art all the more important to the history of film.  

There will be art available for purchase, including several original Blade Runner images created for Ridley Scott's classic scifi film, which is in the National Film Registry and on the AFI's list of top 10 scifi movies of all time.  The E.T. poster is the only movie art to win the Saturn Award, won the Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards' grand prize, and is recognized as one of the most successful campaign images in movie history.  John Alvin always said, "Cinema art is the promise of a great experience".  These two posters represent some of his best work creating that promise, inspiring many people to see these movies.

 "The E.T. art was particularly personal for John", says wife Andrea, "not for the accolades it brought him, but because he modeled Elliott's hand after his daughter, Farah's."  The art was inspired by the image Michelangelo created on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  About Blade Runner, says ArtInsights co-owner Leslie Combemale, "I remember John saying that poster image was created after he told Ridley Scott in a meeting that he wanted to utilize the urban architecture like another prominent character in the art.  Scott said that was exactly what he wanted, and he got the job."  

"The sale of art by John Alvin has very much effected the popularity of celebrity and film inspired art in the fine art market.  John's career has influenced many of the illustrators and cinema artists working today, as they themselves will tell you", says Michael Barry, co-owner of ArtInsights. "He was collected by George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Mel Brooks from the beginning of his career."   For those who don't know about John Alvin's work, there is a series of interview videos available for viewing on the gallery's web magazine site, www.artinsightsmagazine.com.  Ms. Combemale says, "I never thought it would be the last interview he would do.  John and I just did it for fun.  We put the interview on YouTube so the greatest number of fans and film lovers can see it, but we are also proud to feature it on our web magazine. John's enthusiasm and artistic perspective inspires young artists.  I just feel fortunate to have known him and grateful that he left such a great body of work" 

John Alvin worked as an illustrative artist in the film industry for over 35 years.  He came into prominence by creating the art for the poster for Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles in 1974.  He went on to design art for many films including images for Disney movies like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin.

He has created more images for Spielberg films than any other single artist, including the poster art for "Empire of the Sun", "The Color Purple", "Always", "Jurassic Park", and, of course, "E.T".  He also created a lot of specialized work for George Lucas and the "Star Wars" saga.  Mr. Alvin's "Star Wars Concert" and "Star Wars Tenth Anniversary" posters are among the most collectible Star Wars art on the market today.  Additionally, the Smithsonian Museum exhibited Alvin's "The Phantom of the Paradise" as one of the best posters of the 20th century. Later in his life he created exclusive images of Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Alien, and Predator, among others, that were used for fine art limited editions. John Alvin's name belongs to a short list of cinema art masters whose works have become icons in Hollywood's history.