1945-1984
Patrick Nagel was born in Dayton, Ohio, but was brought up in the Los Angeles area, where he spent most of his life. He studied art at Chouinard Art Institute, and in 1969 received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from California State University at Fullerton.
Nagel first put his talents to work as a freelance artist; then in 1971, he joined ABC-TV where he produced television graphics for promotion and news broadcasts. After a year, he returned to freelance assignments, accepting commissions from major corporations and magazines, including IBM, ITT, United Artists, MGM, Universal Studios, Playboy, Architectural Digest, Rolling Stone, Oui, and Harpers.
Beginning in 1976, Nagel began contributing regularly to Playboy, which extended the exposure and popularity of “the Nagel Woman” to a huge and loyal audience. In 1978, he created his first poster image for Mirage Editions. He also painted the cover of rock group Duran Duran’s Rio album, which became the number one album in the world.
The feeling of Nagel’s work is reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints as well as of Art Deco styling, yet it is completely contemporary and universal in appeal. Starting from a photograph, he would create a simplified drawing, the translate the drawing to a painting — always “simplifying, working to get more across with fewer elements,” note Elena Millie. Bold, dark lines shape perspective out of flat, cool colors and stark white spaces; the result is what some have described as “fantasy realism.”
Patrick Nagel died of a heart attack in 1984 at the age of 38, but his art lives on.
In 1986, a retrospective book on his art was published by van der Marck Editions, and sold nearly 240,000 copies in hardcover in just one year. The book has also been translated to Japanese and French editions.
Architectural Digest - Inkwell
1982 Screen print Plate signed 26'' x 15''
