Tim and Greg Hildebrandt

Tim Hildebrandt (1939-2006) and Greg Hildebrandt (1939-2024)
Star Wars
1977, British quad, style B, printed in England by W.E.Berry Ltd., Bradford
30 x 40 in. (76 x 101.5 cm.)
backed on linen

An original British quad film poster for the first release of George Lucas' 1977 space opera Star Wars.

Twins Tim and Greg Hildebrandt studied at the Meinzingers School of Art. Their unorthodox approach involved each twin starting at one end of the painting and meeting in the middle. 'We literally both sat together on two sides,' Greg told Huffpost in 2017. 'He would sit on one side and I would sit on the other, and we would paint at the same time on the same painting.'

In 1977, the Hildebrandt Brothers were approached by 20th Century Fox to produce a new poster design for the British release of Star Wars, as it was felt that Tom Jung’s design for the initial US one sheet poster lacked colour. Working to a tight deadline ahead of the film’s release, the brothers completed their iconic ‘style B’ design within a couple of days, with Greg’s then wife serving as the model for Princess Leia in the absence of any film stills or publicity photos. 'Incredibly, the first version of it – without the droids – was created in a feverish, nonstop effort over just 36 hours!' Greg told the Los Angeles Times in 2010. 'George Lucas asked for the droids to be added and for our signatures to be larger. We made those changes at the ad agency, and off it went!'

By the time Star Wars was released in the UK in December 1977, the unexpected success of the film prompted the studio to commission a third ‘style C’ design by British poster artist Tom Chantrell featuring clear and recognisable portraits of the principal actors (see lot 48). Consequently, the Hildebrandt quad was withdrawn following a very limited release and replaced with the more commercial style C design for wide release, making this one of the rarest and most sought after Star Wars posters.