George Stavrinos (1948 – August 3, 1990) was a Greek American illustrator. Born in
Somerville, Massachusetts, he graduated from the
Rhode Island School of Design in 1969. After a year of study abroad he moved to Philadelphia and worked as a mural artist for local businesses. Stavrinos eventually moved to New York and began working for
Push Pin Studios
Push Pin Studios is a graphic design and illustration studio founded by the influential graphic designers Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast in New York City in 1954. The firm's work, and distinctive illustration style, featuring "bulgy" three-dimen ...
and ''The New York Times'' in the mid-1970s before he began his run of influential department store campaigns began in 1977.
He was a 2007 inductee into the
Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame.
His client list included
Bergdorf Goodman,
Barneys New York, ''
Blueboy'',
Gentleman's Quarterly
''GQ'' (formerly ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and ''Apparel Arts'') is an American international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though articles on ...
, ''
The New York Times'', and the
Metropolitan Opera. His work for Bergdorf Goodman was hailed as significantly influential and expanded the notions of what fashion illustration could be, incorporating highly elaborate scenery with narrative qualities and cinematic reference.
Stavrinos's works for gay publications and companies were equally revered with commissions for Fire Island Pines Society,
Colt Studios, ''
Christopher Street'', ''Gay Source'', Lighthouse Court Key West and ''
After Dark''. His social circle involved influential gay figures of the 1970s and 1980s such as
Paul Popham, Robert Nathan Fain,
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
,
Edmund White and
Felice Picano.
Posthumous exhibitions include:
* ''Stroke: From Under The Mattress to Out in the Open''. Leslie Lohman Museum, New York, 2014.
* ''Fashion Illustration: The Visionaries''. Society of Illustrators, New York, 2020.
* ''The Vision of George Stavrinos'', Society of Illustrators, New York, 2013.
Various works are in the permament collections of galleries including
New Hampshire Institute of Art
The New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA) was a private art school in Manchester, New Hampshire. It was accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) a ...
;
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, New York; ClampArt NYC, New York; and Francis Neady Collection at
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.
References
External links
Fashions of the Pines 1980's Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society.
1948 births
1990 deaths
People from Somerville, Massachusetts
Rhode Island School of Design alumni
American people of Greek descent
American illustrators
{{US-illustrator-stub