Posted on 06/14/2024 6:08:23 PM PDT by nickcarraway
An Instagram account spent "countless hours" in search of the original reference for the seminal illustration by Patrick Nagel
The model from Duran Duran‘s ‘Rio’ cover has finally been identified.
The iconic artwork was originally painted by American artist and illustrator Patrick Nagel, and then designed by Malcolm Garrett to resemble classic ’50s cigar packaging. However, despite becoming one of the most memorable album covers of all time, the subject has remained a mystery – until now.
An Instagram account called @nagel_angel has spent “countless hours” in search of the original reference photo used by Nagel. They have now identified model Marcie Hunt (now known as Marcie Dinkel) as the subject of the renowned portrait.
Though Nagel passed away two years after making the illustration, his assistant Barry Hahn reportedly confirmed that Hunt was the original inspiration.
Duran Duran themselves took to social media to repost @nagel_angel’s discovery, upon which Hunt herself commented below. “This is so cool! I absolutely did not know until now that this photo of me was used for the Rio cover,” she wrote. “Very exciting! Love Duran Duran, and danced to their music often in the ’80s… and later at my wedding.”
Take a look at the two photos below:
Cool. I just cued up this album, haven’t listened to it in a long time.
Thanks
She took it a lot better than Ann Kirsten Kennis who after discovering a modeling polaroid of her from 1983 on the cover of Vampire Weekend's "Contra" immediately sued the band.
Great album, BTW and, yes, 80s chicks were hot.
Or the Nirvana Baby
That’s a cool story.
She’s at least one standard deviation above the mean, on the “girl next door” scale.
Nah, half the girls in my high school ('84-'87) looked like her.
That's straight-up 80s suburban white girl right there.
Sorry about the tortured link
The is the greatest model album cover art ever. The model is Kate Murtagh.
Well, I should have said “among the greatest ever”...
I do love it. The pic I posted was not from an album cover but from the movie “Barbarella”. The band Duran Duran got their name from the movies villain.
I love the WTC buildings.
I couldn’t even name one Duran Duran song... Not my cup of tea I guess.
Ordinary World is OK
Was that one of their songs? I don’t recognize the title. Just not much of a fan of pop 80s I guess.
You're either really, really young or really, really old.
I mean, this isn't exactly a new band we're talking about here.
Pop 80s was not my thing at all.
Oh, and I’m not THAT old.
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