25211

ALBERTO VARGAS (1896-1982)

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:15,500.00 USD Estimated At:75,000.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
ALBERTO VARGAS (1896-1982)
<B>ALBERTO VARGAS (1896-1982)</B></I> <BR>Original Pin-Up Art <BR>American Fantasy, 1953 <BR>Watercolor on paper <BR>29in. x 20in. (sight size) <BR>Signed and dated lower right: Vargas, 1953 <BR><BR>Feast your eyes on this sensational package! Here she is -- <I>American Fantasy</B></I>, the <I>very first</B></I> Vargas girl ever to appear in the pages of <I>Playboy</B></I>, and as the saying goes, you never forget your first time! The March, 1957 issue of <I>Playboy</B></I> featured Jon Campbell's ground-breaking pictorial, "The Vargas Girl." The spread opened with a large reproduction of <I>American Fantasy</B></I>, and it was a delicious taste of the "cheesecake" yet to come; reader response was so enthusiastic that starting with its September, 1960 issue, <I>Playboy</B></I> commissioned Vargas to produce a masterwork for each issue. Quoting from Campbell's paean, "The Forties belonged to Vargas and his Vargas Girl -- and we'll concede the Fifties too, if pressed. The Vargas Girl possesses something more than the sum of her perky parts; she is Anatomical Perfection, put together in a way certain to set the most unfeeling amongst us aquiver and amumbling in our Martinis." Indeed, <I>Playboy</B></I> had officially appointed Vargas its "High Priest of Va-Va-Voom." <BR><BR>The sensual, tactile qualities of the airbrush painting technique were showcased at their most perfect in <I>American Fantasy</B></I>. Pure color was applied as a fine mist, and the hues were carefully built up, even as forms were delicately modeled. The see-through, sheer fabric of the <I>American Fantasy's</B></I> negligee made her especially sultry and glamorous, in a most teasing manner, and her auburn hair glowed invitingly with its lustrous sheen. As Ray Bradbury noted in <I>The Art of Playboy</B></I>, for the U.S. male, Alberto Vargas often ran fevers with his selection of bonbons and midnight truffles. Ray quipped, "I don't know if this is what G.I. Joe was fighting for, but -- forgive me, ladies -- it was better than apple pie." <BR><BR>In addition to a copy of the historic March, 1957 issue of <I>Playboy</B></I>, this lot also includes a copy of <I>Laff the Humorous Picture Magazine</B></I> dated December, 1950, with its cover-touted, three-page pictorial entitled "Varga Girl." On page twenty-two of the article Alberto Vargas demonstrates to model Harlene Whitlock a sultry pose he wishes her to assume, and it's the very one he used for <I>American Fantasy</B></I>. Accompanying the magazine is a vintage 7.5in. x 9.5in. black and white print of the photograph used in the article. The captions in <I>Laff</B></I> read, "We prefer Harlene's legs. How about you?" and "Varga's quick eye for curves -- plus hard work -- resulted in fame, fortune, and femmes." <I>American Fantasy</B></I> was also showcased as the album cover of <I>Bedside Companion for Playboys</B></I> from Omega records, and the album is also included in this lot. Thus, the ultra-cool piano jazz of the Dick Marx combo can serve as a soundtrack to your original art. This spectacular lot offers an unparalleled collectibles smorgasbord of Vargas treats! 5 items <BR><BR><B>Important notice:</B> Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Since eBay bids are not shown to us until we open the lot on the floor, we treat those bids just like floor bids. In most cases the floor responds before the eBay bid is presented to us, due to Internet lag time, so for consistency we have made it a policy that floor bids are always considered first over tie eBay live bids. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 24.5% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid.