Antonio
Antonio Lopez (1943-1987)
Antonio Lopez designer and illustrator was born in Puerto Rico. He studied at the High School of Industrial Art and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Antonio worked as a sketch artist until he got a job with designer Charles James, for whom he worked for a few years.
In the 1960s he also freelanced for fashion magazines where his portraits helped boost the careers of models such as Jerry Hall, Jessica Lange, and Grace Jones. In 1982 Antonio published a book with a collection of his portraits called "Antonio's Girls."
In 1969 he moved to Paris where he finally established himself as one of the greatest fashion illustrators of the 20th century. His illustrations of women are vibrant, modern; and vivid; they were also strong, innovative and absolutely his own. He is charged with helping to resurrect the almost forgoten art of fashion illustration in magazines. Antonio worked with a variety of materials including pencil pen and ink, charcoal, watercolors and Polaroid film. He signed his work with his name "Antonio." His drawings frequently appeared in magazines such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle and in other publications like Interview and The New York Times.
The last years of his life were devoted to the educating of students in the United States and Dominican Republic; teaching his visionary ideas on the art of contemporary fashion illustration.
Antonio died of AIDS in March of 1987, he was forty-four years old.
