Lorenzo Sperlonga pinup artist
"Lorenzo is an artist of remarkable talent and vision, a pioneer in a genre of art few have been able to master."
Lorenzo Sperlonga (b.1969)
The year 1995 marked the beginning of his career as a pinup artist: he painted his first cover for SKORPIO - the biggest comics magazine in Italy: since then, many of his magazine covers still appear every year on Italian newsstands.
Quotation above: Robert Bane, world renowned publisher and gallery owner, from Dirty Works.
Lorenzo Sperlonga was born in Rome in 1969. At the age of 16, he began his career as an illustrator and a graphic designer for advertising agencies and small publishers. In those first few years, he soon realized that painting was his true calling, and little by little he focused his artistic interests entirely towards sci-fi, fantasy and erotica.
As his covers started to appear in Australia, South America and Eastern Europe, the American market initially opened its doors to Lorenzo in 1998. That was the year that prompted Lorenzo to move to Los Angeles, where he began his collaboration with Larry Flynt Publications, as well as many other publishers such as Avalanche, Aeg, Sizzle, Fort Ross. However, in Lorenzo's words, the "real big one" happened in 2000 when he became a cover artist for historical fantasy comics magazine Heavy Metal. Since then, dozens among covers, posters and calendars followed that very special piece.
Tamara Bane Gallery and Lorenzo started to work together in May 2002, just a couple of months preceding the world-wide release of his first book by MG Publishing: The Art of Lorenzo Sperlonga.
On the wings of that international success, MG soon contacted him again to commission the double cover of the premiere issue of Artcore, the first periodical entirely dedicated to pinup art.
In 2004 RCI International started a new line of hand-painted sculptures inspired by his masterpieces.
In 2006 Heavy Metal and Infinity presented his new book Dirty Works.
Between 2006 and 2007 for 12 months Hustler Magazine featured Lorenzo's Pin-Up of the Month.
In 2008 his third book Poison Apples was published by Heavy Metal.
