John Alvin

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with John Alvin (actor).

John Alvin
Born
John Henry Alvin

(1948-11-24)November 24, 1948
Rhinebeck, New York
, U.S.

John Henry Alvin (November 24, 1948

entertainment industry.[1]

Alvin's work includes the movie posters for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, Gremlins, The Goonies, Spies Like Us, The Color Purple, The Little Mermaid, Batman Returns, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Space Jam, The Emperor's New Groove, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.[1] He also created the anniversary posters for Star Wars.[1][3]

Early life and education

John Alvin was born on November 24, 1948, in

United States military and the family was relocated often.[1]

The Alvins settled permanently in the area of Monterey, California, where Alvin graduated from Pacific Grove High School in 1966.[4]

His early interest in movie posters reportedly began with movie

advertisements in the Sunday newspaper.[2]

Alvin graduated from the

freelance
artist.

He lived in the Linda Mar area of Pacifica, California, from 1958 to 1961, then moved to Monterey, California, January 1, 1961.[citation needed]

Career

Alvin's first official movie art campaign was the poster for Blazing Saddles, directed by Mel Brooks, in 1974.[2] Alvin, who was working as an animator at an animation studio at the time, was invited to work on the Blazing Saddles poster by a friend.[1]

Alvin took an unusual path when designing the movie poster. He designed a serious movie poster, which incorporated unusual and quirky elements from the film.

Kosher for Passover.[1] The joke had been suggested by Alvin's wife, Andrea.[1]

Alvin's work on Blazing Saddles was liked by Mel Brooks, as well as by others in the industry. He went on to work on a number of Brooks' later films, including Young Frankenstein, which was also released in 1974.[2]

Alvin also did the poster for Steven Spielberg's 1982 film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[1] It shows E.T.'s finger touching the finger of his human friend, Elliott, finger tip to finger tip.[1] The fingers create a glow where they touch. The idea for the poster was reportedly suggested by Spielberg, and was inspired by Michelangelo's painting, The Creation of Adam.[1] Alvin used his daughter as the human hand model for the poster.[1]

Alvin created artwork for more than 135 film campaigns over the span of three decades.

film studios as New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., Disney Studios and Lucasfilm, include Blade Runner, Cocoon, The Lost Boys, Predator, The Princess Bride, Gremlins, The Goonies, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Jurassic Park, and Space Jam. He also created the anniversary posters and other artwork for the 30th-anniversary Star Wars Celebration.[1]

In later years, he created posters for

paintings."[1]

Alvin's poster for the 1974 film

U.S. Bicentennial
.

In later years, Alvin focused more on cinematic fine art as the importance of movie posters was usurped by newer forms of digital advertising.[1] Alvin's fine art portfolio centered on movies artistically, rather than on advertising.[1]

The Art of John Alvin, a book collecting a large portfolio of his work by Andrea Alvin, was published on August 26, 2014, by

Titan Books.[5]

The book includes examples of publicly used artwork, as well as previously unseen paintings and sketches,[6] with a foreword by Jeffrey Katzenberg and commentary by Alvin's widow.[7][8]

ArtInsights, exclusively retail Alvin's original works to the public.[9]

Personal life and death

Alvin met his wife Andrea at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, where they were both students. Andrea went on to become an accomplished painter.[10] They had one child, actress Farah Alvin. Their daughter's hand was featured on the movie poster for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[11]

On February 6, 2008, Alvin died at his home in

Rhinebeck, New York from a heart attack.[2]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Stewart, Jocelyn (February 10, 2008). "John Alvin, 59; created movie posters for such films as 'Blazing Saddles' and 'E.T.'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Movie poster artist John Alvin dies, Campaign designer worked on 135 movies". Variety. February 8, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2008.
  3. ^ "CineMaterial.com: John Henry Alvin". Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "In Memory of John Alvin". Pacific Grove High School Class of 1966. 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  5. ^ Sciretta, Peter (August 7, 2014). "Unused 'Jurassic Park' Posters Designed by John Alvin". slashfilm.com. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  6. ISBN 978-0857689290
    .
  7. ^ Watercutter, Angela (August 8, 2014). "The Man Behind the Most Iconic Movie Posters of the '80s and '90s". wired.com. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  8. ^ Nguyen, Vi-An (August 7, 2014). "Exclusive: Never-Before-Seen Alternate Movie Posters for E.T., Jurassic Park, The Goonies, and More". parade.com. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  9. ^ Combemale, Leslie (August 31, 2014). "Unused ARTINSIGHTS SHOWS ART AND PRESS FOR THE ART OF JOHN ALVIN!". artinsights.com. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  10. ^ "Andrea Alvin". John Alvin Art. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  11. ^ Combemale, Leslie (October 17, 2016). "John-Alvin-ET-art-auction-movie-poster-artist-artinsights". Artinsights Film Art Gallery. Retrieved December 17, 2023.

External links

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