# Why is beauty salon window art all the same style?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-beauty-salon-window-art-all-the-same-style/194956>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 13, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-beauty-salon-window-art-all-the-same-style/194956 "2003-08-13T17:39:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![menudomucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@menudomucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/menudomucho)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-beauty-salon-window-art-all-the-same-style/194956/1 "2003-08-13T17:39:06Z")

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Yesterday I was driving by a standard individually owned beauty salon and I saw a poster in the window of a 80’s-era stylish, alibaster skinned woman with jet black hair holding up a bag or a vanity mirror, or some hair care item. This sight wasn’t too unusual for I often see this same style of art in beauty salon windows: Bold, dark lines shape perspective out of flat, cool colors and stark white spaces, all of stylish people.

In college, I took a history of illustration class and learned of an artist named Patrick Nagel [[http://www.patricknagel.com/html/bio.html](http://www.patricknagel.com/html/bio.html) ] whose style is identical and obviously the inspiration for this beauty salon art. I could never find any mention of him doing art specifically for salons, so I am wondering why this became the style of art for your average salon, and if he knew or cared that he was being ripped off?

It’s funny in a way, Nagel died in 1984 but his style lives in beauty salons across america.

ND