ABOUT THE CNs (Commemorative Nagel)

The CN stands for "commemorative Nagel". Many who are new to Nagel are not clear that these prints were created after his death in 1984. And as such they are POSTHUMOUS, not hand signed (obviously) and were created in much bigger editions sizes, some as many as 10,000.

However, although posthumous, the good news is that they are actual serigraphs—not cheap lithos like much of what passes for 'nagels' these days—and were printed by the Samper Silkscreen Company (the second printer used by Mirage to print Nagels and the only other legitimate printer) in the mid 1980's. Unlike a lot of Nagel posters, these were authorized and published by Mirage Editions, Nagel's publisher. Though posthumous, they are still wonderful works of art and had he not passed, would likely have gone on to become signed and numbered limited editions.

ABOUT CN1 2

Details: "Bergen Galleries, aka CN12; ca 1988, 24'x36'' serigraph in 13 colors; estimated 5 - 7000 printed. This print: colors fresh, no fading or foxing

Marguerita Bergen had a small poster shop on Royal Street in New Orleans. She sold more Nagels that any other dealer in the Southeast and because of it, Mirage honored her with putting the name of the gallery on this commemorative graphic in 1987. did. We understand she had closed the gallery before the disaster in the city, however.

For more on that issue, visit our site here

This printsi offered unframed and is shipped rolled in a tube.

ABOUT PATRICK NAGEL (1945 - 1984): For every decade since the development of color, planographic art (the mid-19th Century) there has been an artist whose work was instrumental in reflecting and, in some cases defining, the era in which they lived. For the1980's, it was Patrick Nagel. Nagel was a phenomenon, much like those great painter/illustrators to precede him -- Jules Cheret, A.M. Cassandre, Leyendecker, Holwein, Toulouse-Lautrec, Rockwell, to name only a few. • At the end of his short life, Playboy magazine was accepting illustrations from Nagel sight-unseen to run in the magazine and his fame and fortune had reached staggering heights in the fine art world. Because of his untimely demise, Patrick's "lifetime" body of work is (comparatively) very small. But it was important work. The Nagel 'renaissance' has already begun—the work is being revisited by scholars and collectors alike.

We also broker other works of art on our website, Todd Bingham Fine Art. Click here to go there

A Word to Those New to Nagel

You will notice there is huge difference in price on Nagel's work. This is especially true on eBay where you'll see things for as little as $20. Those prints are open edition, off-set lithographs and in some cases, are copies of famous Nagel images. Some are knock-offs or even outright fakes
The 'real' Nagel collectible art -- i.e., graphics and posters released during Nagel's life -- you rarely see, but they can bring prices in three and four figures. CAVEAT EMPTOR: Although many of the Nagels you see on eBay are correct, there is also an awful lot of misrepresentation (some of it is admittedly inadvertant) and fraudulent listings. Be careful if you're thinking of spending any serious money. For more on that subject,
follow this link to our Nagel site.