The lady in the Vargas painting asks the gentleman for his opinion on her hat. The answer is not shared, but the work is one 85 sexy comic illustrations, paintings and cartoons once in Playboy and now to be auctioned by Heritage. Some of the pieces are expected to go in the $30,00 to $50,000+ range. Surprisingly, the magazine became one of the top venues for the best illustrators and cartoonists of the second half of the 20th century.
Also at the sale in New York Oct.22-23 will be top tier illustrators such as Howard Chandler Christy (“Nymphs in Summer, “1946), Gil Elvgren, (“Fire Belle),” and Harvey Kurtzman’s “Little Fanny Annie Stories.” It’s not all titillation, however. Also for sale are famous covers from women’s magazines, The Saturday Evening Post, and even children’s book art by Garth Williams (“The Rabbits’s Wedding”).
