Illustrating the Playboy Image, with Playboy Curator Aaron Baker, Feb. 9 at Heritage Auctions

Part of Heritage's ‘2^nd Tuesdays @ Slocum’ Lecture series, Feb. 9, 6-7 p.m. at 1518 Slocum Street

DALLAS, TX --In the world of great magazine illustration none can hold a candle to Playboy. The very mention of Playboy art summons a list of luminaries: Alberto Vargas, Andy Warhol, Leroy Neiman and many more giants of the 20^th century.

Illustrating the Playboy Image is the subject of Heritage Auctions' Feb. 9, 2010 edition of its “2^nd Tuesdays @ Slocum” Lecture series, with special guest Aaron Baker, Curator of the Playboy Collection, the one man who probably knows the most about the fabled magazine's epic art archive and history - besides Hef, of course.

The lecture is being presented in conjunction with the Heritage auction of more than 100 pieces of original Playboy cartoons as part of its Feb. 25-27 Vintage Comics and Comics Art auction. Examples of original artwork by Vargas, Neiman, Erich Sokol, and Jack Cole, among others - including a very special cartoon by Hef himself - are included in the auction.

"There's a very specific artistic vocabulary that comes to mind when you think of Playboy art," said Jared Green, Vice President of Heritage Auctions. "That's very much on purpose. From the early days of the magazine through today, Hef and his team, including Aaron, have taken great pains to carefully craft and develop that image to mean the very best of the form."

Baker will spend an hour discussing the PlayboyCollection's cutting-edge contemporary art and Hef's relationships with Playboy artists including Leroy Neiman, Alberto Vargas, Andy Warhol, Todd Wesselman and a number of top contemporary names.

The Playboy Collection, of which Baker is the Curator, is an archive of original artworks by 20th century icons such as Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, Franz Kline, and Alberto Vargas. He manages the display, care and cataloging of more than 5,000 works across five locations, including the Playboy Mansion. Baker works with galleries, museums and publishers to bring greater awareness to Playboy’s history and to highlight the role the magazine and its artists have played in shaping our understanding of what’s modern and cool in America.

Attendance is by RSVP only. Anyone interested in attending this special lecture should email RSVP@HA.com, or call 214-409-1050.

Heritage Auctions, headed by Steve Ivy, Jim Halperin and Greg Rohan, is the world’s third largest auction house, with annual sales more than $600 million, and 475,000+ registered online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and gain access to a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HA.com.

Want to get the up-to-the-minute updates and breaking news stories about Heritage Auctions? Get them as they happen at: www.Twitter.com/HeritagePress; www.Twitter.com/JimHalperin; Facebook: Heritage Auction Galleries. To view a compete archive of Heritage press releases go to: www.HA.com/PR. To link to this press release on your blog or Website: www.HA.com/PR-1790.