The Playmate as fine art: Seven contemporary artists interpret Playboy’s iconic centerfold

NEW YORK, NY.- For more than half a century, Playboy has explored the female body as a work of art. The January/February 2013 issue of Playboy reveals how the magazine’s pictorials have influenced artists (issue on newsstands and i.Playboy.com Tuesday, December 18). The Playmate as Fine Art features compelling pieces from today’s leading contemporary artists interpreting the Centerfold on their own terms. No conditions were set, nor specific Playmates mandated.

Cindy Sherman is counted among the most influential artists of the last half century. The photographs she contributed to Playboy, Untitled #264 and Untitled #261, are jarringly provocative. In stark contrast to Sherman’s explicit photographs, Ryan McGinness’ contribution—a digital vector drawing entitled Heather Knox, Playmate, Miss January 2012—has a graphic-art feel. His work is known for its extensive vocabulary of images that use the visual language of public signage, corporate logos and contemporary iconography.

Will Cotton’s contribution, Cotton Candy Queen, perfectly encapsulates the centerfold

Will Cotton’s contribution, Cotton Candy Queen, perfectly encapsulates the centerfold. Says Cotton: “The model for this painting is Miss Ruby Valentine, a burlesque dancer from New York. She’s reclining on a cotton candy cloud, wearing a crown of sweets.” Cotton’s work is in the collections of the Seattle Art Museum and the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio.

Artist, painter, photographer and bibliophile Richard Prince’s photograph Untitled Girlfriend 2012 is an example of the kind of pop-culture inspired work Prince has been creating for more than thirty years. Says Prince: “It’s different to generate my own photographs. I don’t do it often, but when I do, I try to think that what I’m taking already exists.”

Jill Magid’s contribution With Full Consent is a neon work of art made especially for Playboy. Chrissie Iles, senior curator at the Whitney Museum in New York, says, “The work of Jill Magid is incisive in its poetic questioning of the ethics of human behavior and the hidden political structures of society.” Wes Lang’s work Heartland centers on the use of American tropes, including roses, pinups, the Playboy icon, and lyrics of the Grateful Dead.

Tracey Emin’s Lonely Chair Drawing V may refer to episodes from her childhood and teen years, as much of her work does. Emin is part of the group known as the Young British Artists. In 2007 she represented Britain at the 52nd Venice Biennale and was made a member of the Royal Academy.