John Alvin's classic original poster art for E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982) has sold for $394,000 at Heritage Auctions.
It headlined an October 12 sale of illustration art in Dallas.
 Artist John Alvin based the E.T. poster on Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam |
E.T. is widely considered Steven Spielberg's masterpiece.
While Alvin painted several posters for the film it was this piece, inspired by Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, that became one of the most iconic one sheets of all time.
The lot had enormous appeal to a broad range of buyers, accounting for its sterling performance.
Heritage explained: "This image was utilized promotionally not only for the original one sheet movie poster, but also as the VHS cover, lobby cards, t-shirts, etc.
"John Alvin created one preliminary for this work and continued to produce posters for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial on its re-releases in 1985 and 2002.
"However, it is this iconic image by John Alvin that is seared into minds of the American public as a nostalgic symbol of unlikely friendship and everlasting childhood."
Frank Frazetta's Red Planet (1974) artwork achieved $346,000.
The work appeared as the cover for Lin Carter's sci-fi novel Time War in 1974.
Frazetta's price point has advanced significantly over the past couple of years, with a painting titled At the Earth's Core breaking the $1m mark at auction for the first time in August.
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