The centerpiece of the Heritage Auctions Illustration Art Auction is Y-Wing Fighters in the Rebel Hanger, a 1976 painting by artist Ralph McQuarrie. The painting depicts rebels preparing a fighter for battle, complete with an R2 unit. The painting was reproduced in the December 1977 Star Wars Portfolio and in the book Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie (2016).
The auction for the 8” x 16” gouache on board piece happens live in Dallas on October 12, or bids can be placed online at the Heritage Auctions website. McQuarrie’s art rarely comes up for sale, and auction estimates for the piece are in the territory of $100,000.
Star Wars memorabilia tends to fetch a pretty penny. Last year, an R2-D2 unit that was assembled from parts used during the filming of the original trilogy sold for $2.75 million (see “R2-D2 Unit Sells For Nearly $3 Million”). Princess Leia’s gold bikini was auctioned for $96,000 in 2015 (see “Princess Leia's Gold Bikini Goes For $96k”). A 35-cent variant of Marvel’s Star Wars #1 (1977) brought in $7,200 (see “Rare Comics Fetch Premium at Auction House's First Comic Sale”).
