With her green feline eyes, "Nita Naldi," Ziegfeld Follies performer and star of the silent screen, once set the heart of Rudolph Valentino on fire. In this portrait, the actress also seems to bring life to a stone statue of Pan. This piece was originally painted from life in 1923 and appeared somewhat modified (with her breast covered in lace) in Shadowland Magazine that same year. This was the first in a series of portraits of the day's "Motion Picture Stars" by Alberto that were featured in this publication.
SFAE sold the original artwork at one of the first exhibitions of Vargas' work. That sale achieved the highest price ever paid for an original Vargas, and it remains one of the most coveted and valuable pieces in the entire Vargas archive.
The "Lifetime Portfolio"
In the late 1970s, Alberto Vargas was invited to produce a series of limited edition lithographs of a number of his early works. An agreement was reached and he chose five of his favorite Ziegfeld period beauties to be published.
A total of 1,000 prints were authorized, 500 for domestic distribution and 500 for international release. None of these were signed by Vargas, rather they were signed by an authorized representative as a "Proxy Signature".
After the main edition was finalized, the publishers approached Vargas to personally hand-sign 50 additional prints designated as Artist Proofs. He agreed and thus he created the only limited edition "Artist Signed" prints by Alberto Vargas.
The Lifetime Portfolio prints are offset lithographs on BFK Rives fine-art paper.
Collector's Notes:
We generally have a small inventory of proxy-signed pieces available that can be purchased using the CHOOSE A SIZE button below. Orders will be shipped within 2-4 days.
We may also have a hand-signed version in stock. Please contact us for availability and pricing on these pieces!
Buyers will receive a certificate of authenticity following the delivery of their artwork.