Alberto Vargas Paintings
Peruvian, 1896-1982
Alberto Vargas (1896-1982) was born in Arequipa, Peru, in 1896, the son of a successful photographer, and was educated in Switzerland. Arriving in New York in 1916, he was determined to stay in America and pursue what became an illustrious career.
His name has become synonymous with pin-up girls, but in the early 1940s, he was just a guy hired by Esquire magazine to imitate departed star George Petty, who bolted over pay. Vargas initially aped Petty's sleek women with their telephone posing and large-hat lounging; soon, however, his own distinctive, delicate watercolor style emerged. His wide-eyed wonder- women rivaled Betty Grable as the ultimate pin-up girl of World War II.
Vargas, who signed his Esquire work "Varga", had already achieved some notoriety for his Ziegfeld Follies and movie poster art. But Esquire made him famous, though he was paid poorly and, like Petty, eventually quit. Legal problems over ownership of his work, even of his own signature, plagued him.
But late in his life, Vargas was given a second shot at fame and fortune by longtime fan Hugh Hefner. His regular Playboy slot in the 1960s and '70s elevated Vargas to a pinnacle eclipsing Petty.
One of the true giants of American illustration, Alberto Vargas has created an art style so sensuous, so exquisite, that for the past six decades his magnificent paintings of women have come to embody the fantasies of three generations of women and men around the world. His work also appeared in Harper's Bazaar, Theatre Magazine, and Tattler.
He died in December 1982.to
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Artist: Alberto Vargas
Glorifying The American Girl
By Alberto Vargas
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Medium: Watercolor, Ink and Appliqués on Board
Signature: Signed Lower Right
Sight Size 16.00" x 12.00", Framed 26.00" x 22.00"
Glorifying The American Girl...
Category
1920s Other Art Style Alberto Vargas Paintings
Materials
Ink, Watercolor, Board
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Find a wide variety of authentic Alberto Vargas paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Alberto Vargas in board, ink, paint and more. Not every interior allows for large Alberto Vargas paintings, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Ernesto Gutierrez (b.1941), Tadeo Zavaleta, and Cecilia Arrospide. Alberto Vargas paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $32,000 and tops out at $32,000, while the average work can sell for $32,000.