Painter, illustrator, and graphic artist Patrick Nagel came to prominence around 1980 with works influenced by fashion photography, Art Deco poster art of the 1920s and 1930s, and Japanese woodblock prints. Born in Dayton, Ohio, Nagel grew up in the Los Angeles area, where he spent most of his life. He studied art at the Chouinard Art Institute, and in 1969 received his bachelor of fine arts degree from California State University at Fullerton. After first working as a freelance artist he joined ABC-TV in 1971, 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, Architectural Digest, Rolling Stone, Oui, and Harpers. From 1976 he illustrated the Playboy column "The Playboy Advisor."

Although he produced over sixty different graphic editions during his lifetime, he...