Auctions.Playboy.com Marks One Year Anniversary with
Exclusive Auction Package
NEW YORK, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Playboy Auctions
( http://Auctions.Playboy.com ), the official auction site for authentic
Playboy artifacts, collectibles and premium events, is celebrating its first
year online by offering collectors a once in a lifetime bidding opportunity.
Beginning today, Playboy Auctions will offer four of renowned pin-up artist
Alberto Vargas's best watercolor illustrations that were commissioned for, and
graced the pages of Playboy magazine in the 1960s. Interested bidders can
access detailed information and register bids for this unprecedented
auction through December 31 by logging on to http://Auctions.Playboy.com .
"We are pleased to be offering our fans and collectors such a rare
opportunity to own a part of the rich art history of Playboy," commented
Christie Hefner, Playboy.com Chairman, on the auction. The paintings were
unveiled this morning at the Playboy Mansion by Playboy's founder and
editor-in-chief Hugh M. Hefner.
Each of the four original watercolors -- Vargas Girl August 1961, Vargas
Girl January 1965, Vargas Girl September 1966, and Vargas Girl December
1968 -- will be auctioned individually. The framed, 30" x 20" watercolors
each bear the artist's signature and come with a certificate of
authenticity, a copy of the Playboy issue the painting appeared in and a
congratulatory letter signed by Hugh M. Hefner. To round out this unique
auction package, winning bidders will also be invited to attend a luncheon
at the Mansion, where a Playmate will present each work of art (at a date
to be determined).
Since launching in December 1999, Auctions.Playboy.com has quickly become
a highly trafficked destination among Playboy enthusiasts and collectors
worldwide. Within the last month alone, Auctions.Playboy.com sold an
extremely rare, elegant black Playboy Club Bunny Costume -- directly from
Hugh Hefner's sealed archival vaults, and just like the one on display at
the Smithsonian. The costume came in a custom-made, wooden-framed
shadowbox and featured Bunny ears, Bunny tail, black bodysuit, collar,
bowtie, badge, cuffs, cuff links and a certificate of authenticity signed
by the Playboy Enterprises, Inc., archivist. The Bunny costume garnered a
winning bid of $8000.
In recent months, auctions featuring rare collectibles have become a
burgeoning online industry. The Vargas watercolors are sure to join the
ranks of high profile collectibles auctioned online recently such as one
of Marilyn Monroe's negligees for $10,000 and the Sony JumboTron from
Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium for $475,000.
About Alberto Vargas and the "Vargas Girl"
In the '20s, Alberto Vargas was the exclusive painter of the dazzling
Follies Girls for Florenz Ziegfeld. In the '30s, he captured the charms of
Greta Garbo, Marlena Dietrich and other Hollywood starlets for major
motion picture production companies. In 1960, Vargas became a regular
contributor to Playboy, an association that lasted nearly two decades and
yielded over 150 classic paintings, and during which time a warm relationship
with Hugh Hefner -- whom he called "El Jefe" -- was cultivated. Widely
regarded as the greatest American watercolorist of the 20th century, Vargas
truly gave us the ideal image of the perfect American girl -- the "Vargas
Girl." Vargas died in 1982 at the age of 87.
Auctions.Playboy.com is a channel in the Playboy.com network of sites.
Playboy.com; a wholly-owned subsidiary of Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
(NYSE: PLA), an international multimedia entertainment company; is the
#1 lifestyle and entertainment destination Web site for men. Launched in
August 1994, Playboy.com operates Playboy-branded Web sites targeting the
entertainment and lifestyle interests of young men. In addition to
Playboy Auctions they include: Playboy.com ( http://www.playboy.com ), an
advertising and e-commerce-supported Web site that offers a range of
entertainment, information and e-commerce; Playboy Cyber Club
( http://cyber.playboy.com ), a members-only subscription site featuring
premium Playboy content and exclusive online events; and the Playboy Store
( http://www.playboystore.com ), which sells Playboy-branded products.
SOURCE Playboy.com
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Related links:
http://www.playboy.com
CONTACT:
Media, Cindy Rakowitz of Playboy Enterprises,
Inc., 310-246-4000, email cindyr@playboy.com, or Laura Sigman of
Playboy.com, 212-261-5000, email lsigman@playboy.com
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