406 - Bernard CHAROY (1931–2024)

Bernard CHAROY (1931–2024) Pin-up, artwork for *Paris Flirt* magazine Mixed media on paper Signed lower left Stamp: “PARIS FLIRT No. 65, page 16” Stamp: “Copyright Independents Artists Agency No. 132” 59 x 47 cm (image size) Framed under glass Description: Bernard Charoy (1931–2024) was born in Lorraine into a family of artisans. He settled in Montmartre in the mid-1950s, where he began studying painting and lithography; in the 1960s, he took on commissions from agencies and magazines. His work as a press illustrator established his favorite subject—the female figure—very early on. This pin-up illustration, created for *Paris Flirt*, is part of that tradition. It reflects a generation of illustrators’ fascination with the idealized woman, from the American pin-ups of Gil Elvgren and Alberto Vargas to the French magazine covers by Aslan and Jean-Gabriel Domergue. By the 1970s, Charoy was best known as a lithographer. His portraits of women were distributed and exhibited around the world, from Europe to the United States and Asia.