Sotheby’s to auction Original E.T. Model used in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 Sci-Fi Classic

From the design to the fabrication, to the on-set performance, the process of bringing E.T. to life was a collaboration of some of the film industry’s most talented illustrators, artisans, and engineers. The present lot—a screen-used E.T. model from the film’s iconic scene where the beloved eponymous alien disguises himself amongst a closet-full of stuffed animals—is being brought to auction from the estate of its creator, Italian Special Effects artist, Carlo Rambaldi.

Carlo Rambaldi may not have been the first designer Spielberg tapped to design the look of E.T., but he was the first to truly understand Spielberg’s vision—there was one ground rule in the studio where Rambaldi and the special effects team brought the creature to life: “E.T. is not a monster.” Spielberg established early in the production process that the story of E.T. would take place in a world entirely inhabited by children—much like the classic cartoons the director was raised on—and as such, one of the most important factor of E.T.’s design was that the little alien appear in a form that would appear not only safe, but also inviting and friendly to a child’s eye.

Working from Melissa Mathison’s screenplay that intentionally declined to include a physical description of its central character, Rambaldi created the look of E.T. entirely off reference images provided by Spielberg. The director recalled: “I remember saying to Carlo, ‘here’s some pictures of Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, and Carl Sandburg. How can we make E.T.’s eyes as frivolous, wizened, and also as sad as those three icons?”

E.T. and a Sotheby’s handler. COURTESY OF SOTHEBY’S

Alongside production illustrator Ed Verreaux, Rambaldi spent months producing sketches and sculpting tiny scale models from clay of the creature-to-be. Rambaldi even turned to his own archives for inspiration, citing an abstract painting of his from 1952 “Women of the Delta” as the [inspiration] for the appearance of E.T.’s long, slender telescopic neck. In the end, the look of E.T. eyes came not from Einstein or Hemingway, but from the Rambaldi family’s Himalayan cat.

In a closed-door meeting at MGM’s offices sometime in January 1981, Rambaldi presented E.T.’s final form to Spielberg out of an unassuming brown paper bag—a “tiny, green creature with huge bulging eyes, short legs, a barrel chest, and curiously elongated head” (Sahagun). Six months later, Rambaldi would complete the first of four full-scale working models of the upcoming film’s extra-terrestrial star, working out of his 4,500 square foot office in Northridge, CA.

Rambaldi and his team of four assistants worked around-the-clock to create these life-sized, walking, and talking versions of E.T.—regularly clocking 15-to-20-hour days, under 24-hour guard to protect the project’s secrecy. Rambaldi created the present model, one main animatronic, and several animatronic E.T. heads, along with a costume to bring E.T. to the screen. Through a combination of animatronics, mechatronics, and puppetry, Rambaldi’s E.T. could make 86 different movements—from blinking eyes to delicate grasps of the hand. Interviewed in 1982, Rambaldi considered E.T. as his “most harmonious blend of art, propostion, and engineering” to date (Sahagun).

This lot is a highlight of the curated collection from the estate of Carlo Rambaldi—Italian special effects artist, animatronics pioneer, and ‘Monster Maker’—that Sotheby’s is honored to bring to auction this April.

Born in Northern Italy’s Vigarano Mainarda, Carlo Rambaldi began exploring the world of sculpture and puppetry from the age of five. After graduating from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna in 1951, Rambaldi’s career as a commercial artist would lead him to becoming one of the most influential special effects artists in the history of contemporary film. Rambaldi worked on over 65 films in Europe before emigrating to the U.S. to work on Dino De Laurentis’ King Kong in 1975. The 40-foot, mechanical ape Rambaldi built for the 1976 Kong film introduced his artistry to the American market, secured his first Academy Award, and cemented his place in the American film industry.

In 1977, Rambaldi collaborated with Steven Spielberg for the first time to create the extraterrestrials for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. E.T. swiftly followed, and Rambaldi would receive his third Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for this collaboration. The career of Carlo Rambaldi traces a path through the some of the greatest science fiction and horror works of the 20th century—including credits on Alien (1979), Possession (1981), The Hand (1981), Conan the Destroyer (1984), David Lynch’s Dune (1984), Cat’s Eye (1985).

Main Image: Screen-used ‘E.T.’ Model from iconic 'Closet Scene', ca. 1982, Courtesy Carlo Rambaldi estimate: 600,000 - 900,000 USD