OLIVIA De Berardinis

Olivia started her artworks with the intention of entering the fine arts arena. Along the route she was sidetracked by her ability to draw the female form. Pinup art claiming yet another artist. For over ten years she worked with the Tamara Bane Gallery, an association that ended amicably, and since leaving the Gallery,  Olivia herself has expressed her regards for the help and support the gallery gave throughout her time with them, a time that made her financially able to break out and go it alone.

Along with her husband (a silent partner in the artists business life), she went on to begin creating artwork for the numerous books and individual artworks she has become known for.

Recent years have seen her work published on a regular basis in Playboy Magazine, with hefners high regard for the works of Vargas and Bolles, the work of Olivia is obviously seen as a continuation of their style, and the fact the work is done by a woman lends an extra angle to the art.

For the Zippo collectors, their is a further interest here as a fair number of her works are replicated on the small but highly utilised face of the lighter. Her works depicting Bettie Page being highly regarded amongst those familiar with pinup Zippos. One of the images below shows a tray of my own Zippos, of which, the first 5 lighters are representations of Olivia's work, with the fourth lighter of these being a Bettie Paige image. Of note here, although not related to the works of Olivia, is the Varga girl lighter in the lower right corner of the image. The lighter being a Zippo collectible, and yet having a story of it's own regarding who actually did the work to create it. A quick read of the Vargas and Bolles pages of this site give a better insight into that aspect of the story.

Those looking for better quality images and more of her work (both old and new) will find them at Ozone productions.