Alberto Vargas (1896–1982) was a noted painter of pin-up girls and erotica. Born in Arequipa, Peru, Joaquin Alberto Vargas y Chávez came to the United States in 1916 after studying art in Europe prior to World War I. His early career included work as an artist for the Ziegfeld Follies and for many Hollywood studios. He became famous in the 1940s as the creator of iconic World War II era pin-ups for Esquire magazine known as "Varga Girls." The nose art of many World War II aircraft was adapted from these Esquire pin-ups. Year 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A pin-up girl is a woman whose physical attractiveness would entice one to place a picture of her on a wall. ... Erotica (from the Greek language Eros - love) — refers to works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or arousing descriptions. ... Nickname: La Ciudad Blanca (The White City) Location of the city of Arequipa in Peru Coordinates: Country Peru Region Arequipa Province Arequipa Established 15 August 1540 Government  - Mayor Yamel Romero Peralta Area  - City 9,862. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. ... Esquire is a magazine for men owned by the Hearst Corporation. ... Nose art on a B-17 Flying Fortress Nose art is a painting or design done on the fuselage near the nose of a warplane, usually for decorative purposes. ...

Alberto Vargas in New York, ca. 1919.

A legal dispute with Esquire magazine over the use of the name "Varga" resulted in a judgment against Vargas and he struggled financially until the 1960s when Playboy magazine began to use his work as "Vargas Girls." His career flourished and he had major exhibitions of his work all over the world. The death of his wife Anna Mae in 1974 left him devastated and he stopped painting. The publication of his autobiography in 1978 renewed interest in his work and brought him partially out of his self-imposed retirement to do a few works such as album covers for Bernadette Peters and the Cars. He died of a stroke on Dec. 30, 1982, at the age of 86. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... The first issue of Playboy. ... Bernadette Peters (born February 28, 1948) is an American Tony Award-winning actress and singer. ... The Cars were an American New Wave band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Many of Vargas’ works from his period with Esquire are now held by the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas, which was given those works in 1980 along with a large body of other art from Esquire Magazine.^[1]

His work was typically a combination of watercolor and airbrush. His mastery of the airbrush is acknowledged by the fact that the highest achievement in the community of airbrush artistry is the Vargas Award, awarded annually by Airbrush Action magazine. His images would often portray elegantly dressed, semi-nude to nude women of idealized proportions. Vargas's artistic trait would be slender fingers and toes, the nails of which were often painted red. Watercolor is a painting technique making use of water-soluble pigments that are either transparent or opaque and are formulated with gum to bond the pigment to the paper. ... Paasche F#1 Single Action External Mix Airbrush An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of atomization. ... The word nude may refer to: The state of nudity. ... Fingers of the human left hand A finger is a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of humans and other primates. ... Toes on foot. ...

Vargas is widely regarded as one of the finest artists in his genre. In addition to his work as an artist, he also served as a judge for the Miss Universe beauty contest in 1956-58.^[2] Logo of the Miss Universe event. ...

He designed the cover of The Cars album Candy-O.

Cover for the album Candy-O by The Cars This is an album cover. ... Cover for the album Candy-O by The Cars This is an album cover. ... The Cars were an American New Wave band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ... Candy-O is the second studio album by American new wave band The Cars, released in 1979 (see 1979 in music). ...

See also

• Pin-up girl
• List of Pin-Up artists

This image of Betty Grable became the archetype of pin-ups during World War II A pin-up girl or pin-up model is a model whose mass-produced pictures see wide appeal as pop culture. ...

References

• Alberto Vargas: Works from the Max Vargas Collection, by Reid Stewart Austin, Hugh Hefner. 144pp (2006) (ISBN 978-0821257920).
• Vargas, by Reid Austin and Alberto Vargas. 127 pp. (1978) (ISBN 0-517-530473 ) (autobiography).
• Varga. The Esquire Years. A catalogue Raisonne. 176 pp (1987) (ISBN 0-912383-48-8 ).
• The Great American Pin-Up, by Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel, ISBN 3-8228-1701-5
• Vargas, by Benedikt Taschen, text by Astrid Conte. 79 pp. (1990) (ISBN 3-89450-063-8).

External links

• Alberto Vargas Pin-Ups calendars
• Vargas on "The Pin-Up Files"
• Alberto Vargas Biography
• Further gallery of his work
• Gallery of early and lost works