For many Masters of the Universe fans, the 1980s toy line and cartoon series will always be the pinnacle of the franchise. Now, one of the first artworks that brought together the heroes and villains of Eternia is going under the hammer at Goldin in just under a month. Created by William George, who was responsible for helping to shape the identity of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe through his illustrations for the original toy packaging, the painting comes in at a huge 45 inches by 35 inches including its frame and is an original acrylic painting that was used to promote the franchise in its heyday. The unique and rare find is one that will garner a lot of attention from collectors of He-Man memorabilia, especially when considering this is one of the earliest pieces to feature many of the characters that would become a staple for many children of the 80s.
The one-of-a-kind painting sees the forces of Eternia split into heroes and villains, with He-Man in battle armor riding Battle Cat on one side while Skeletor sits astride Panthor on the other. In the background, their respective fortresses of Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain loom over classic characters such as Beast Man, Ram Man, Teela, Man-at Arms, Evil Lyn, Trap-Jaw, and Merman. The two factions charge into battle with each other in an awesome spectacle that has been used in calendars, bedding, and also adorned the cover of the 2017 book, “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: A Character Guide and World Compendium.” Prints of this kind of artwork are highly sought after in their own right, so the original hand-painted work that all others have followed is something that will be worth a lot of money to the right collector, and with bidding already at $5,500, this piece could end up being one of the highest price pieces of Masters of the Universe art ever sold.
Understanding the importance of George’s painting comes from knowing about the man behind it and how he became the go-to artist for the Masters of the Universe franchise. George worked in magazine and book art for years after training under Norman Rockwell before he became the illustrator for Mattel’s He-Man toys. Although others provided some artwork for the franchise along the line, George’s work became the images that followed the Masters of the Universe through generations, still being used now in new books and material linked to the cartoon series and the toy line that inspired it. His box art often depicted the characters in dramatic battle scenes and clashes, enticing children into the fantasy world of Eternia whenever they looked at a toy shelf and sparking their imagination when playing out their own action scenes in their bedrooms.
That is exactly why this all-encompassing painting is a golden age treasure to Masters of the Universe fans. The franchise itself has gone through many changes over the years such as animated reboots, Dolph Lundgren’s cult classic movie, and more recently the Amazon MGM Studios reboot. While Lundgren’s movie and recent animated shows have completely redesigned the look of the franchise, this year’s Nicholas Galitzine movie brought the characters of George’s paintings and the original cartoon series into a live-action setting for the first time. Although the movie did not perform extremely well during its theatrical run, fans have rallied around it following its streaming debut on Prime Video, keeping it at the top of the global chart for more than two weeks. The love of the franchise has been built over decades and partly began with the artwork of William George. Right now, there couldn’t be a better time for one of his best pieces to hit the auction block.
