East Riding of Yorkshire Council invites the public to explore one of the UK's finest collections of vintage Star Wars toys and original cinema posters, on display from Saturday, 6 June.
Upon its release in 1977, the first Star Wars film broke box office records, with an estimated 300 million action figures sold within the first decade.
‘May The Toys Be With You’ is both a celebration of the now highly collectable vintage toy line and also of the iconic design work and art of the Star Wars movies.
This is an unmissable opportunity to view many rarely seen Star Wars treasures, the touring exhibition has broken visitor attendance records at a host of museums around the country.
Councillor Nick Coultish, cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: ‘’This new and exciting exhibition will give families and visitors alike the opportunity to experience memorabilia from one of the most famous film series of all time.
‘’Those who come along will be able to get up close to the collection, exploring iconic figures such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo.
‘’Beverley Art Gallery will also be hosting a programme of family-friendly Star Wars themed events and activities to support this exhibition, so we hope to see the public come along and enjoy these.’’
Matt Fox, owner of the collection and curator of May The Toys Be With You, added: ‘’I encountered Star Wars as a wide-eyed five year old on my very first outing to a cinema, and my first figure (Darth Vader) was purchased that same day. Now I’m an adult collector, but I don’t think I’ve ever really lost that wide-eyed joy when acquiring new pieces for my collection.
‘’I am very pleased to be able to share the collection with everyone who comes to the exhibition at Beverley Art Gallery.’’
Beverley Art Gallery has also announced a programme of events to accompany the exhibition, including a drop-in session on Saturday, 25 July to create and display Star Wars-inspired LEGO® builds with BrickBox UK, a talk by computational astrophysicist Dr Gareth Few exploring the real science behind the Star Wars universe, a special appearance from Echo Base Galactic Alliance, and more. Events are suitable for all ages, find more information at: www.eastridingmuseums.co.uk/
This exhibition will be on display until Saturday, 29 August.
Beverley Art Gallery is located within the Champney Treasure House, Beverley.
For more information and opening times, please visit: Beverley Art Gallery
Follow the Beverley Art Gallery social media pages for the latest updates on additional Star Wars events and activities.
