Patrick Nagel...Turns This Grey Sky to Blue

We are spotlighting an original Patrick Nagel Playboy Painting. This original work on board, which measures 13"x9.75", was first published in Playboy Magazine in December of 1983 in the Playboy Forum section.

This is an exceptional example of Nagel's edgy and alluring work that he created for Playboy Magazine. The colors in the original are extraordinary with beautiful line work that can be seen in a couple of the close-up photos.

Hand signed in the lower right hand corner this original is marked on the back with Playboy's stamp, which reads "PLAYBOY'S ARTWORK REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED WITHOUT PLAYBOY'S PERMISSION."

This original is in perfect condition with no signs of age. With her beautifully squared off eyes, subtle tilt of the shoulder and slight aggressive lean in towards the viewer, she projects just as much sex appeal today as the day she left Nagel's studio!

As the interest from fine art galleries grew in Patrick Nagel's original works, his painting substrate evolved from illustration board to the more traditional and accepted fine art canvas. Many of Nagel's canvas works were adapted from earlier Playboy illustrations. The altered background design elements, different color schemes and omission of nudity were the most frequent changes Nagel made from his Playboy paintings to his canvas works. In the case of "Blue Sweater" as pictured below:

• The Playboy painting on the left contains a yellow geometric shape, where as the canvas painting on the right has a different background shape in a light violet.
• The Playboy version on the left has a classic Nagel paynes grey background, where as the canvas version on the right has a light blue background.
• And the most notable change is in the Blue Sweater itself; in the Playboy painting the cut of the sweater drops low exposing her breast, where as in the canvas painting her breast is covered by the cut of the sweater.

Most commonly referred to as "Blue Sweater", the image of the canvas was released in 1992 as an open edition lithograph measuring 24"x18". Pictured below is this poster which has become familiar to many Nagel collectors as it was mass reproduced.In 2009 Rachel Uffner Gallery held a show titled "Nagel Fades" featuring the photographic prints of Artist Barb Choit and subsequently the artwork of Patrick Nagel. Choit explored the effects of photochemical processes on found objects. She captured the impact of beauty salon materials and apparatuses; chiefly, UV-light-emitting tanning beds on Patrick Nagel’s iconic 1980’s fine art posters. To read more about Barb Choit's show "Nagel Fades" visit the Press Release. Below is an example of Barb Choit's exposure on Patrick Nagel's "Blue Sweater." The finished piece shown at Rachel Uffner Gallery was a Laser Jet Print on Adhesive Paper, Bleach Bath, 2009 digital c-print, measuring 24.75"x18.25" in an edition of 3.
And although it has faded to some...We still Love Living in the 80s

www.the80sgallery.com