Alberto Vargas

"Marilyn Monroe" by Alberto Vargas

Watercolor and pencil on board

29.5x19.5in.

1953

"Jane Russell" by Alberto Vargas

28.5x19.5in.

Watercolor and pencil on board

1942

     Pinup artist Alberto Vargas was born in 1896 in Peru to the photographer Max Vargas. While taking a trip to Geneva, Vargas decided that's where he was going to study. He lived there until 1916 where he immigrated to New York.

     While in the Big Apple, Vargas was so fascinated by American women. His first job was drawing fashion designs in watercolor and ink for the Adelson Hat Company.

     In late 1919, an employee of Ziegfeld Follies saw Vargas painting in a store window and asked him to show his work to Mr. Ziegfeld. Barely a day later, Vargas was working on twelve portraits of the Ziegfeld Follies for the lobby of the New Amsterdam theatre.

     In 1929, Vargas worked for the Paramount Pictures' New York department and made the original artwork for the film "Glorifying the American Girl." Vargas actually ended up meeting his wife, Anna Mae Ciift, on the set of the movie.

    Once married, the couple started their lives together by moving to Hollywood where Alberto worked for Warner Brothers and MGM studios.

     In 1941, Esquire Magazine hired Vargas as a replacement for the then-popular George Petty, whose contract expired that December. Within two months of being hired, Esquire published the first Varga Girl calendar which sold more copies than any other calendar before.

     Due to the calendar's major success, many stars of the time wanted to pose for Vargas. The stars who posed included: Ann Sheridan, Jane Russell, and Marilyn Monroe.

     Most people recognize Vargas for the 152 paintings he created for Playboy. Out of all his works, only two of which were front-cover images: an issue in 1961 and the March 1965 issue.

     When his wife died in 1974, Vargas lost most of his interest in art. Alberto Vargas passed away on December 30, 1982 in Los Angeles.