Alberto Vargas was one of the most famous of the classic pin-up artists.  The son of noted photographer Max Vargas, he was born in Peru and moved to the U.S. in 1916 after studying art in Zurich and Geneva.  His early career included working as an artist for the Ziegfeld Follies and for Paramount Pictures.  His poster for The Sin of Nora Moran is often cited as one of the greatest movie posters ever made.  He became famous in the 1940s when his pin-up work first started to appear in Esquire Magazine.  Many World War II aircrafts flew into battle with a “Vargas Girl” painted on the side.

Much of Vargas’s work is now held at the Spencer Museum at the University of Kansas.  Over 30 years since his death, his paintings are still eagerly sought by collectors.