1. Joaquin Alberto Vargas y Chavez was a Peruvian-American painter of pin-up girls.
11 Facts About Alberto Vargas
1. 2.
Alberto Vargas is often considered one of the most famous of the pin-up artists, and as one of the pioneers of airbrush art.
3.
Alberto Vargas moved to the United States in 1916 after studying art in Europe, particularly in Zurich and Geneva, prior to World War I While he was in Europe he came upon the French magazine La Vie Parisienne, with a cover by Raphael Kirchner, which he said was a great influence on his work.
4.
Alberto Vargas struggled financially until 1959 when Playboy magazine began to use his work.
5.
Alberto Vargas's career flourished and he had major exhibitions of his work all over the world.
6.
Alberto Vargas died of a stroke on 30 December 1982, at the age of 86.
7.
At the December 2003 Christie's auction of Playboy archives, the 1967 Alberto Vargas painting Trick or Treat sold for $71,600.
8.
Alberto Vargas's work was typically a combination of watercolor and airbrush.
9.
Alberto Vargas is widely regarded as one of the finest artists in his genre.
10.
Alberto Vargas served as a judge for the Miss Universe beauty contest from 1956 to 1958.
11.
Notable women painted by Alberto Vargas include Billie Burke, Ruth Etting, Paulette Goddard, Bessie Love, Irish McCalla, Marilyn Miller, Marilyn Monroe, Nita Naldi, Bernadette Peters, Olive Thomas, Mamie Van Doren, and Candy Moore from The Cars' Candy-O album.