While other pinup artists are certainly popular (George Petty immediately comes to mind), one name stands above the rest: Alberto Vargas. The Peruvian artist made his name for his provocative images (some which caused some controversy) in the pages of ESQUIRE (as "Varga") and later rising to even greater pinup fame in PLAYBOY.
Using a combination of watercolor and airbrushing, Vargas created his unique style of slender, shapely women, a number of them entertainment personalities.
The illustration shown here today is of actress Mara Corday (THE BLACK SCORPION, TARANTULA) who posed for him in his trademark upraised V-leg posture. The original work sold for $100,000.00 at auction this last April.
Description of work at Heritage Auctions:
Alberto Vargas (Peruvian/American, 1896-1982)
Mara Corday, True Girl, February 1952
Watercolor on board
30 x 20 inches (76.2 x 50.8 cm)
Signed and dated lower left
One of the most iconic pinup images ever created, collectors of Alberto Vargas will immediately recognize the model's pose in the present work as the classic V-leg calling card of the artist. Vargas utilized this composition as his signature on letterheads, business cards, and advertisements. However, what enthusiast might not realize is that the sitter for his famed letterhead, famed actress and model Mara Corday, posed for this image twice -- first in 1947 and again in 1952. The first version, with Ms. Corday's face obscured by her hand, was signed Varga and therefore, lost to Esquire magazine.
After leaving the magazine in 1946, Vargas sued Esquire for the rights to his Varga Girls. The legal battle would continue for 4 years. The young actress, Mara Corday, first sat for Vargas in 1947. The artist would utilize this image for his famed 1948 Varga calendar and reinterpret the sketch as letterhead, business cards, etc for his newly created Varga Enterprises. In 1950, the artist not only lost the rights to any of his artwork utilizing "Varga" including his 162 pinups painted for Esquire and the 1948 Varga calendar with original Mara Corday image, but also the use of the name, his name, itself.
In 1950, Alberto Vargas was jobless, his loving wife ill, and on the verge of losing his home. It was in this low moment, that Vargas created a series of twelve nudes later known as the Legacy Nudes. The artist then sent transparencies of these nudes to every men's magazine he could find including True magazine looking for work. After explaining to the art director, Al Allard, that he was not legally allowed to use the Varga name, Mr. Allard shrugged - they were interested in the art, not the name. Esquire went on to sue the artist for the works signed "Vargas" in True but ultimately failed. This win and the publication of his nine True Girls including the present work revitalized the artist and his career. Alberto Vargas was reborn . Perhaps that is why the artist returned to the original model, Mara Corday, to recreate the original V-leg pose. The present work illustrates the artist reclaiming his art and his name -- V is for Vargas, not Varga.
This pin-up was reproduced on page 70 of Vargas (Taschen, 1990).
This painting was reproduced on the King of Spades card in the deck of cards first published in 1950.
She also appeared on a billboard in San Francisco high above Union Square advertising a Vargas exhibition in 1986. At least twenty feet high, her legs extended beyond the top of the billboard.
Heritage Auctions Press Release:
Press Release - May 4, 2021
$100K Vargas Pinup Art Leads $2.3 Million Heritage Illustration Auction
Highlights also include Winnie the Pooh illustration, Boston album cover art
Alberto Vargas Mara Corday, True Girl, February 1952
DALLAS, Texas (May 4, 2021) – One of the most iconic and important pinup images ever created, Alberto Vargas Mara Corday, True Girl, February 1952, sold for $100,000 to lead Heritage Auctions’ April 30 Illustration Art auction to $2,297,692 in total sales.
The model in the image, Mara Corday, is captured in the signature V-leg pose that was Vargas’s calling card in her second sitting for the artist – he lost the rights to the first, and other images he signed as “Varga,” in a years-long legal battle with Esquire magazine. Esquire sued the artist for the works signed "Vargas" in True but ultimately failed. This win and the publication of his nine True Girls including the present work revitalized the artist and his career.
“The Mara Corday Vargas was the quintessential example with his iconic V-leg pose. We could not be happier that this work received the attention it deserved, with 15 bidders and resulting in fourth-highest result Heritage Auctions has ever had with Alberto Vargas,” Heritage Auctions Fine & Decorative Arts Consignment Director Meagen McMillan said. “We are beyond thrilled with the results of our auction. From the original artwork for Boston’s Don’t Look Back album cover by Gary Norman to Alberto Vargas reclaiming of his name with Mara Corday – this sale was filled with excellent examples by illustrators of every genre.”