Howard Terpning original final-draft poster artwork for the 1963 Cleopatra...

Description

Howard Terpning original final-draft poster artwork for the 1963 Cleopatra Howard Terpning original final-draft poster artwork for the 1963 Cleopatra. (TCF, 1963) Acrylic on 2-piece illustration board, approx. 29" x 44" and signed by Terpning in lower left. One of the most infamous film publicity paintings ever, for the movie that single-handedly changed the Hollywood studio system for all time. As one of three (equally) top-billed stars for Cleopatra, Rex Harrison was incensed to see the advance publicity art by Howard Terpning, especially a giant hand-painted billboard from his design, to depict only Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in a revealing and romantic pose. If for no other reason, then the studio was certainly trading off the avalanche of press concerning Burton and Taylor's steaming and adulterous courtship. Harrison sued and Terpning was required by the studio to add Harrison into the design by enlarging and reworking his original painting, also forcing the studio to reprint all affected publicity material to correct this "oversight". Terpning has received numerous art-related awards, earning him a devoted following for his art outside of any Hollywood association. Routinely his paintings fetch several hundred thousand dollars at auction and two have broken the $1 million mark. An extraordinary and unique piece of Hollywood history.

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