Cool Stuff: Laurent Durieux's 'Planet Of The Apes' Poster From His Upcoming Mondo Show

Celebrated artist Laurent Durieux has a new solo art show coming up at the Mondo Gallery, and today we're thrilled to debut his take on one of the most iconic science fiction films in history: 1968's Planet of the Apes. Check out Durieux's Planet of the Apes poster (and its variant edition) below.

I'm a huge fan of the recent Planet of the Apes trilogy, but when I rewatched the original 1968 classic for the first time in 20 years, I realized there was so much of the movie that I'd completely forgotten about. Everyone remembers the make-up effects, and star Charlton Heston screaming about damn dirty apes, but I'd forgotten how a decent chunk of the movie is devoted to the human astronauts slowly wandering around in an unfamiliar environment. This poster captures that aspect nicely, and adds a sense of foreboding with an ape-centric version of Mount Rushmore looming over our tiny protagonists. And of course, there's the obvious parallel between this instantly recognizable monument and the movie's heartbreaking and iconic ending, in which Heston's George Taylor encounters the remains of another embodiment of America: the Statue of Liberty.

Durieux, who hails from Brussels, is one of /Film's favorite artists. He had his first solo show at Mondo back in 2014, and now he's finally back with a new exhibition. Here's what he has to say about the upcoming show:

"I'm pretty sure people are expecting me to raise the bar a little higher than for my first 2014 solo exhibition at Mondo. I don't know if I succeeded in doing that but I did my very best to hopefully meet those expectations. Cherry on top, I also had the immense honor to have been able to work on some of the best properties in popular culture, some of which have only been made available for me, which is not only very humbling but also an amazing sign of confidence in my artistry. I truly can't wait for everyone to see this 7 months labor of love."

These posters will be on display at "The Art of Laurent Durieux Part Two," the artist's solo show later this week. It will also include the artist's riffs on movies like Apocalypse Now, Titanic, The Shining, Conan the Barbarian, and more, and you can get an early look at those pieces right here.

"The Art of Laurent Durieux" begins on November 9, 2018 from 7pm-10pm and runs through November 17, 2018 at Mondo Gallery, which is located at 4115 Guadalupe St. in Austin, Texas.