Bidspirit auction | Patrick Nagel Perry Ellis Playboy

Patrick Nagel Perry Ellis Playboy Painting 1981 - Patrick Nagel (American, 1945-1984). Acrylic painting on Strathmore illustration board depicting American fashion designer, Perry Ellis, 1981. The work was an editorial illustration that appeared in Playboy magazine's January 1981 issue. Signed along the lower right. With several Playboy magazine ink stamps along the verso. Provenance: By repute, acquired from the artist, ca. early 1980s; thence by descent. Lot essay: A pioneer of Los Angeles's new wave illustration scene, Patrick Nagel created an aesthetic synonymous with the late 1980s. Born in Ohio and raised in LA, Nagel served in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne in Vietnam before returning to study at the Chouinard Art Institute and graduate from California State University, Fullerton, in 1969. His career skyrocketed in 1975 through a defining partnership with Playboy magazine, where he contributed roughly 285 pieces until his sudden death in 1984. This collaboration birthed the iconic ”Nagel Woman, ” an international symbolic figure characterized by striking black hair, stark white skin, and deep red lips. Influenced by Art Deco, these minimalist, clean-lined figures became the visual shorthand of an entire decade. Though his legacy includes over 400 original acrylic-on-canvas paintings, Nagel's impact extended far beyond commercial illustration, shaping the pop culture landscape by inspiring music videos for icons like David Bowie and George Michael and designing the era-defining album cover for Duran Duran. Height: 26 in x width: 20 1/4 in. Condition: The colors are bold and bright. There are no tears, losses, or signs of repair to the painting. The perimeter of the board is unevenly toned, consistent with being overlaid by an acidic sheet of tracing paper. Light skimming and residual framer's tape along the upper edge. There are light creases along each corner of the board. There are few small areas of soiling and graphite transfer along the margins. The work is not framed.