Star Wars 1978 Cantina Fan Club Poster Art (1978)-Bill Selby

This gorgeous painting was used for the iconic Cantina poster produced by Factors Etc. Inc. back in 1978. The art was commissioned by George Lucas himself and originally intended for the very first Star Wars Fan Club poster, but became a retail poster instead with a limited print run. Now this poster is rare and sought out by collectors. Over the many years, this artwork has gotten published in numerous books, magazines, and used in many merchandising items, such as t-shirts, games, trading cards and lunchbox.

Artist Bill Selby used 35mm color slides that Black Falcon Ltd (Lucas’ company before it became Lucasfilm) provided for reference. Star Wars had been showing in the theaters for eight months when Selby began working on the Cantina poster project. Lucas’ instruction was to add all of the aliens in the cantina sequence into a grand scene. In the preliminary drawing, Selby had more creatures, but subsequently removed some of them because Lucas, limited by time and budget was unhappy with the way several aliens looked in the film's cantina scene.

Once Lucas approved the color comp, Selby started painting with only one week to complete it. Even with the tight deadline, Selby opted to paint with oils, which he realized it wasn’t the most efficient method. He used heat lamps to speed the drying process, but ended up using acrylic to finish the painting. To make the deadline, artist Jon Townley helped Selby complete the painting. Townley also signed on the lower left of the painting, right under Selby’s signature.

Once the work was complete, Selby personally delivered the painting from the East Coast to Black Falcon Ltd office at the Universal Studios back lot in Hollywood. The painting almost didn’t make it to Los Angeles.

Here’s the story from Selby: “When the painting was completed, I crated it up - a flat plywood crate around 4 inches thick - and flew to Los Angeles to get it approved. It was the dead of winter, and I had to change planes in Chicago. While standing inside the airport observation deck watching bag handlers remove luggage and the crated painting from the plane, I looked on in horror as the crate slipped off the baggage trailer onto the icy tarmac. Nobody noticed but me! Zooming tow tractors and trucks came within inches of smashing the crate. I frantically notified security. The crated painting was finally rescued by a mechanic on a cigarette break.”

The original is large measuring 30” X 42” and is painted on gessoed Masonite board.