Propstore to auction original Drew Struzan artwork in Los Angeles

Propstore will put original artwork by legendary movie poster artist Drew Struzan up for auction Aug. 26-29 in Los Angeles, alongside more than 1,700 entertainment memorabilia lots with a combined presale estimate of $10 million. The sale also includes the only known surviving complete stop-motion gorilla puppet from Mighty Joe Young, expected to headline at up to $3 million.

Why it matters: - Propstore’s summer auction puts rare original movie poster art and historic screen-used material in front of global collectors. - Drew Struzan’s work helped define the visual identity of films including Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Back to the Future. - The sale’s top items could drive serious bidding, including a $1 million to $3 million estimate for a one-of-a-kind Mighty Joe Young puppet.

What happened: - Propstore will hold its Summer Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction Aug. 26-29, 2026, in Los Angeles. - The auction includes more than 1,700 lots of film and television props, costumes, production material, autographed items and other memorabilia. - The combined presale estimate for the auction is $10 million. - Bidding will be available live online, by absentee and by telephone. - The auction features a collection of original artwork by the late Drew Struzan.

The details: - Featured Struzan lots include an original hand-painted “Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates” book cover artwork, estimated at $40,000 to $80,000. - The Indiana Jones piece was created for Martin Caidin’s 1993 novel and is signed and dated “92” by Struzan. - The artwork was also reproduced as a double-page spread in Oeuvre, a retrospective volume on Struzan’s career. - Another Struzan lot is signed and hand-painted key advertisement artwork for The Witches of Eastwick, estimated at $12,000 to $24,000. - That image was likely conceived as a poster and shows Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon atop Jack Nicholson’s head. - The design was ultimately used mainly in newspaper and magazine ads for the film. - Harry and the Hendersons final advance movie poster painting carries an estimate of $8,000 to $16,000. - The Harry and the Hendersons artwork was used for the U.S. one-sheet poster campaign and later reproduced for the film’s 4K Blu-ray release. - Waterworld signed and hand-painted large comprehensive artwork is estimated at $8,000 to $16,000. - The Waterworld composition represents an alternative vision for the film’s poster campaign and was not used for the theatrical release. - A signed and hand-drawn poster composition for How to Train Your Dragon is estimated at $4,000 to $8,000. - Struzan came out of retirement to create individual poster artworks for each film in the trilogy, coinciding with the 2019 release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. - The auction’s headline lot is the only complete stop-motion animation gorilla puppet known to survive from Mighty Joe Young (1949). - The Mighty Joe Young puppet is estimated at $1 million to $3 million and will make its public auction debut on Day One at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. - The puppet had remained in private collections for more than 70 years. - Day One begins Aug. 26 at 9:30 a.m. PDT, with in-room bidding at the Petersen Automotive Museum plus global online, absentee and telephone bidding. - Days 2 through 4 run Aug. 27-29 and begin at 9 a.m. PDT, with live global online, absentee and telephone bidding only. - Registration is open, and the full catalog is available here.

Between the lines: - Propstore is leaning on nostalgia and scarcity, pairing iconic franchise artwork with a historically important film prop. - Struzan’s appeal reaches both art collectors and movie fans because his posters became part of the films’ identities, not just their marketing. - The lineup suggests Propstore is using marquee art lots to draw attention to the broader auction catalog.

What's next: - Collectors can register now and bid throughout the four-day sale. - The Mighty Joe Young puppet will be shown publicly for the first time at auction before it changes hands. - Propstore expects interest from international buyers through its online and remote bidding channels.

The bottom line: - Propstore is turning a Los Angeles auction into a showcase for some of the most recognizable movie imagery ever made, with a rare surviving film prop likely to set the pace for bidding.