We perform Alberto Vargas art authentication, appraisal, certificates of authenticity (COA), analysis, research, scientific tests, full art authentications. We will help you sell your Alberto Vargas or we will sell it for you.

Alberto Vargas is known as a painter of pin-up girls and erotica. Born in Arequipa, Peru, Joaquin Alberto Vargas y Chávez came to the United States in 1916 after studying art in Europe prior to World War I. He started an early career as an artist for the Ziegfeld Follies and for many Hollywood studios. He became famous in the 1940s as the creator of iconic World War II era pin-ups for Esquire magazine known as “Varga Girls.” The nose art of many World War II aircraft was adapted from these Esquire pin-ups.

The use of the name “Varga” resulted in a legal dispute with Esquire magazine. In 1960 when Playboy magazine began to use his work as “Vargas Girls”, his career flourished and he had major exhibitions of his work all over the world. The publication of his autobiography in 1978 brought him out of a self-imposed retirement to do a few works such as album covers for Bernadette Peters and the Cars. He died of a stroke at the age of 86.

The Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas holds many of Vargas works from his period with Esquire.

His work was typically a combination of watercolor and airbrush. The Vargas Award is the highest achievement in the community of airbrush artistry, and is awarded annually by the Airbrush Action magazine. His images would often portray elegantly dressed, semi-nude to nude women of idealized proportions, with slender fingers and toes, the nails of which were often painted red. He is widely regarded as one of the finest artists in his genre. He designed the cover of The Cars album Candy-O.

Still wondering about a Peruvian painting in your family collection? Contact us…it could be by Alberto Vargas.