Incredible India could get some incredible tourists now. Jurassic age T-Rex, aliens and Batman are some of the latest on the list. Auction house Osian?s has purchased a collection of original screen-used visual effect creatures, models and puppets of some the most iconic characters created for Jurassic Park, Aliens and Batman Returns at the Profile in History LA Auction.
The collection, which includes the T-Rex, Pteranodon and Dilophosaurus from the Jurassic Park series, the Alien Queen maquette from Aliens, Danny DeVito Penguin display study from Batman Returns, has been acquired for around Rs 1.15 crore at the auction held in Los Angeles on March 27 and 28.
?These art works will consolidate Osian?s efforts to showcase the artistic heritage and culture of India, Asia and the world,? says Neville Tuli, founder chairman of Osian?s. The works will be exhibited at The Osianama, India?s first integrated arts and film museum-archive-entertainment centre and Osian?s first daily public interface, scheduled to open later this year.
This collection adds to the impressive sci-fi and horror collection of Hollywood memorabilia collected for The Osianama. Important art works from films such as Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, Hell Raiser, Scream, Spiderman, The Terminator are already part of the collection along with thousands of other rare artifacts on world cinema. The Osian?s Cinema Archive and Library Collection is already among the largest in the world, straddling over 300,000 original artworks, posters, showcards and memorabilia in its unique collection in the scale of the subjects, particularly Indian and Asian works, says Tuli.
A highlight of this collection is the Dilophosaurus display study from Jurassic Park (Universal, 1993) valued at $27,500 and made of solid polyfoam pieces from the original ?Spitter? molds and detailed in stance and hand painted. The Pteranodon display features an entire set of screen-used Pteranodons from Jurassic Park III (Universal, 2001), valued at $85,000. The adult Pteranodon and five babies ?feeding? on the screen used Baby T-Rex stunt puppet from Jurassic Park II have an incredible visual impact. All these figures are mounted to a wooden display base.
The original solid resin one-fourth scale maquette, built and assembled to approve the design of the Alien Queen from James Cameron?s Aliens (1986) before the full-sized Queen was built, and also the predecessor for the 1/4 scale figures later created for the film from the same moulds is another masterpiece acquired by Osian?s ($ 30,000).