Antonio Lopez

“. . . there can be no greater gift than this paean to Mr. Lopez.”

Antonio Lopez was undoubtedly one of the greatest talents in fashion of the 20th century. His images were ubiquitous on a worldwide basis, and whether or not you are acquainted with the artist on any level, you can recognize his inimitable style.

From the sixties until his untimely death in 1987, there was a fashion juggernaut, and its name was Antonio Lopez.

This epic volume written by the Padilha brothers will serve the reader on two distinct levels. On the most obvious, the book is prodigious in its coverage of the body of work created by Mr. Lopez during his career. On another level, Antonio Lopez is a fairy tale about a poor Hispanic kid who had a dream and made it happen via his talents.

This veritable fairy tale is a biography of the artist and the circle of people surrounding him at various stages in his life.

There are tales of symbiotic relationships, as well as a cast of characters including Paloma Picasso, Tina Chow, Carrie Donovan, John Fairchild, Charles James, Bill Cunningham, Jessica Lange, Jerry Hall, Karl Lagerfeld, Grace Jones, and Pat Cleveland. The fact is many of these names weren’t quite recognized yet in the world of fashion, but Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos, Mr. Lopez’s partner, discovered and nurtured the talents of many in the aforementioned diverse group.

In essence, the reader is flooded with exquisite reproductions of Mr. Lopez’s work as well as intellectually stimulated by the skillful examination of the saga of this genius’ life. Antonio Lopez will prove especially compelling to those of us who grew up in the era in which he reigned supreme, but in no way can the book be classified as “age centric.”

If you have an interest in any of the following: the art of fashion, the halcyon days of New York City and Paris, fashion illustration, or fine art there can be no greater gift than this paean to Mr. Lopez.