Above: The artist’s signature

Above: Detail

A fresh and monumental pin-up painting by Alberto Vargas created for and published in the September 1961 issue of Playboy Magazine. A dazzling and technically distinguished large masterpiece that was printed with a quip which brings us back to an era before the sexual revolution, “He told me we would do whatever I wanted to do until midnight, If I promise to do whatever he wanted to do the rest of the night.”

Above: Detail

Alberto Vargas’ first work for Playboy Magazine appeared September of 1960, exactly one year before the publication of this artwork. In this flirtatious view, a pretty brunette in a diaphanous pink nightgown smiles to the viewer after applying red lipstick to her full lips.

The verso is ink-stamped and labeled by Playboy Magazine with the usage date of September 1961 and notes that this appeared on page 112. A copy of the magazine is included in the sale.

Above: Verso label from Playboy Magazine

Above: Inventory Number

This was generously gifted by Hugh Hefner and Playboy Magazine to an Easter Seals charity telethon auction in Chicago in the 1970s. This work was chosen specifically by the foundation, which wanted an image that could be shown on TV. Indeed, without featuring outright nudity this beauty manages to be as erotic as any of Vargas’s work for the magazine. The relative modesty of this sensational and fresh to the market original pin-up painting gives it added appeal to collectors who wish to display a Playboy era Vargas in a home setting. Framed and matted behind glass in a pristine state of original conservation.