John Berkey
John Berkey | |
---|---|
Science fiction art | |
Awards | Spectrum Award for Grand Master 1999 |
Elected | Society of Illustrators |
Website | www |
John Berkey (August 13, 1932 – April 29, 2008) was an American artist known for his space and science fiction themed works. Some of Berkey's best-known work includes much of the original poster art for the Star Wars trilogy, the poster for the 1976 remake of King Kong and also the "Old Elvis Stamp".
Berkey produced a large body of
Early life
John Berkey was born in
Career
Berkey worked as a freelance artist from the 1960s, after an eight-year stint at
Book covers & magazines
Among other commissions, Berkey regularly produced artwork for magazines such as
Berkey made his mark in science fiction publishing with his
NASA
In the 1960s, Berkey was commissioned by
Film work
Berkey declined an invitation from
Star Wars
In 1975, the young filmmaker
Berkey was commissioned by
Another of Berkey's original paintings for Star Wars was a poster depicting the final battle over the Death Star from the final scenes of the film. Berkey reportedly never saw Star Wars, and this is evidenced in the fact that he illustrated multiple
Berkey's involvement in Star Wars was brought to an end after a conflict of interest with his work for rival film studio
Berkey revisited the Star Wars universe in 1983 when he was commissioned to provide the cover artwork for the Atari video game, Return of the Jedi: Death Star Battle.[15]
Postage stamps
In 1992, the
Honors and awards
In 1999, John Berkey received the Spectrum Award for Grand Master.[8]
In 2004 he was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame. On March 22, 2007, Excelsior, Minnesota, honored him with "John Berkey Day."
John Berkey was Artist Guest of Honor at Minicon 35 in 2000.[8]
Death and legacy
Berkey died of heart failure on April 28, 2008, at his home in Excelsior, Minnesota.[4]
Many of his original paintings are periodically on display at ArtOrg in Northfield, Minnesota.[17]
In his lifetime, Berkey influenced a number of artists, especially science fiction artists, among them James Gurney, Drew Struzan, Vincent Di Fate, Stephen Youll, John Picacio, Brandon Peterson and Michael Kaluta.[11]
See also
- Category:Film posters by John Berkey
- Category:Book covers by John Berkey
- Chris Achilleos
- Chris Foss
- Suzy Rice
- Tom Jung
- List of Star Wars artists
References
- Frank, Jane (2003). The Art of John Berkey. Paper Tiger. OCLC 52829293.
- Frank, Jane; Frank, Howard (1999). The Frank Collection : A Showcase of the World's Finest Fantastic Art. London: Paper Tiger. ISBN 9781855857322.
- ^ a b c "John Berkey - Artist Biography for John Berkey". askArt. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d Heilemann, Michael. "John Berkey & The Mechanical Planet". Kitbashed. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Original Star Wars poster painting by John Berkey". www.sciencefictionarchives.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ ISBN 9780786453849. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ Frank 2003.
- ^ a b Berkey, John. "About — John Berkey". John Berkey Art Ltd. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
- ^ "Popular Mechanics Art – John Berkey Art". johnberkeyart.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d Ketter, Greg (21 April 2000). "John Berkey" (PDF). Minicon 35 Program Book: 2. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
- ^ "NASA Space Art – John Berkey Art". johnberkeyart.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "Movie Posters". John Berkey Art. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Berkey Tributes". John Berkey Art. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
- ^ Cohen, Ben. "John Berkey's art inspired the Death Star in 'Star Wars'". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ a b "John Berkey Remembered". StarWars.com. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ "Ralph McQuarrie's Del Rey Star Wars Covers | StarWars.com". StarWars.com. 7 December 2015. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Star Wars Art – John Berkey Art". johnberkeyart.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "The Elvis stamp: America elects a King". Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "Selected Art from John Berkey Observed Exhibit". ArtOrg. Northfield, MN. 17 September 2009. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
External links
- John Berkey Art Ltd., official website of the John Berkey estate
- John Berkey at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- John Berkey in the Science Fiction Encyclopedia
- International Association of Astronomical Artists
- International Space Art Network
- John Berkey on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki