A VISIONARY artist behind some of cinema’s most iconic movie posters has died aged 78.
Drew Struzan, whose instantly recognisable work defined the look of blockbusters like Star Wars, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter, passed away on Monday.
News of his death were announced by his longtime collaborator Greg Aronowitz on Struzan’s official Instagram page.
Aronowitz wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that Drew Struzan has moved on from this world as of yesterday, October 13th.
“I feel it is important that you all know how many times he expressed to me the joy he felt knowing how much you appreciated his art.”
Tributes have poured in from across Hollywood.
Steven Spielberg hailed Struzan as a master of “event art.”
“His posters made many of our movies into destinations … and the memory of those movies and the age we were when we saw them always comes flashing back just by glancing at his iconic photorealistic imagery,” Spielberg said.
“In his own invented style, nobody drew like Drew.”
Guillermo del Toro mourned “a genial man, a genius communicator and supreme artist,” adding: “I lost a friend — beloved Drew.”
Struzan’s rise to legendary status saw him work with big names in both film and the music industry.
After designing album covers for acts including The Beach Boys, the Bee Gees and Earth, Wind & Fire — for just $150 to $250 a piece — he moved into movie posters in 1975.
His big break came in 1978 when he was hired to help create the poster for the re-release of Star Wars, painting the human characters in oil while fellow artist Charles White III handled the mechanical details.
From there, Struzan became Hollywood’s go-to “one-sheet wonder,” creating unforgettable posters for Blade Runner, The Goonies, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Thing, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and many more.
Although he retired in 2008 after designing the poster for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Struzan occasionally returned to work, contributing art for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 and The Dark Tower in 2017.
His bold, dramatic, character-driven style — layering sprawling ensembles into a single vivid image — made his work instantly recognisable and deeply nostalgic.
Spielberg once called him “my favorite movie artist” and admitted, “I had to almost live up to the art that we later were going to ask Drew to create for the poster.”
Struzan himself once explained his philosophy: “I felt that art was more than just telling the story.
“I’m looking to give a person a feeling about something they could hope for.
“I asked the directors what they’re doing and why they were doing it. I try to find the best in what they are doing, then I paint that way.”
Reflecting on his difficult early life during a 2018 tribute, Struzan said: “I’m thinking about my childhood and how I never had a birthday party, never had a good meal, everywhere I went, I worked my ass off.
“Nothing was ever given to me before, except by these lovely people” — referring to the filmmakers who championed his art.
Asked which poster was his favourite, Struzan once replied: “If I had a favourite, then I would have already done the best I can do. I’d lose my spark of creativity. My favourite is always the very next one.”
His life and career were chronicled in the 2013 documentary Drew: The Man Behind the Poster, featuring interviews with George Lucas, Spielberg, Harrison Ford and more.
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