Bold, Beautiful and Damned: The World of 1980s Fashion Illustrator Tony Viramontes

“[a] love letter of a book . . .”

If there is a work that can be referred to as a sad celebration then Bold, Beautiful and Damned: The World of 1980s Fashion Illustrator Tony Viramontes would surely qualify. The sad part is that this brilliant and talented artist had only a relative second of great fame; the celebration is that he is remembered so lovingly and so reverently in this tribute.

Tony Virmaontes was one of the many great talents of the 1980s who seems to have been forgotten. One possible excuse for his absence in the retelling of 80s fashion is that he emerged at the same time that Antonio Lopez was at his peak. Nevertheless, let it be clearly stated that Tony Viramontes was on the trajectory to equal or possibly surpass the ubiquity of Mr. Lopez.

The narrative of this short lived artist reads like a fairy tale who grew up of modest means in a suburb of Los Angeles and achieved international fame due to his extraordinarily talents. Though his career span was less than 10 years he was commissioned by and worked alongside some of the most renowned designers of the 20th century. Notable among them were the prestigious and prodigious Yves St Laurent, Valentino, Claude Montana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, Stephen Jones, Emanuel Ungaro, and that’s just a few.

“I would let him do what he felt like doing . . . he was an artist.”
—Claude Montana

There is no doubt that this narrative will be an eye opener for some and for others a great reminder of what might be considered a lost or forgotten talent. Mr. Viarmontes’s take on fashion was vastly different from his peers; and yet his style seems so solidly true, 20 years after his death, than it did then, in essence making him a time traveler of sorts who was decades ahead of the flock.

“At a time when photography dominated the fashion pages, it is difficult to imagine the power that an artist could have in the interpretation of the mood of the moment.”
—Franca Sozzani

This love letter of a book is exquisitely documented in both visual content as well as text. For the initiated and the uninitiated, the work is awe inspiring as well as a reminder of what once was. Bold, Beautiful and Damned will be a coveted treasure for years to come.