Olivia De Berardinis (American, b.b. 1948)

Paintings

Who is painter Olivia De Berardinis?

Olivia De Berardinis is an American Pop artist who is best known for her pinup and “cheesecake” influenced art. She was brought to prominence through a relationship with Playboy Magazine, where she began as a contributor in the 1980s, and by 2004 was given her own monthly pinup page exclusive. These pages were often captioned by Hugh Hefner himself, proving her status as one of the most respected artists to ever work with Playboy.

De Berardinis has many accolades in both the high and commercial art world. She was featured in the Second Annual Contemporary Reflections (1972) for the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art and was also one of the 18 new artists featured at the tenth-anniversary celebration of the Larry Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art (among other fellow luminaries like Eva Hesse and Frank Stella). She started O Card Company to publish her work as greeting cards in 1977. This business has continually grown and now boasts a production wing (Ozone Productions Ltd.) which licenses De Berardinis’ artwork. She currently resides in Malibu, California.

What kind of art does Olivia De Berardinis make?

Olivia De Berardinis makes pinup and “cheesecake” inspired paintings, which often feature celebrities and other glamorous subjects. Some of her most famous works include Bettie Page, Carrie Fisher, and Kendra Wilkenson. Many of these most famous images appeared in Playboy, where De Berardinis had a long-running page that featured one of her paintings. More recently, De Berardinis has painted portraits of famous film and comic book figures, like Margo Robbie, Gal Gadot, and others. These new works are less inspired by pinup work but are extremely popular with collectors. A recent painting of Gal Gadot in her Wonder Woman costume sold for $65,725.

How did painter Olivia De Berardinis get started?

Olivia De Berardinis was born in Long Beach, California in 1948. The daughter of an aeronautical engineer and a model, De Berardinis’ mother was the focus of her early work. In 1967 she attended the New York School of Visual Arts. Money was always a struggle, and in 1974 she fully embraced commercial art. She began painting erotic fantasies for men’s magazines of the time. Soon after, De Berardinis met Joel Beren where they developed a greeting card company that helped to popularize her work with an even larger audience. She became a regular contributor to Playboy in the 1980s.

How much are Olivia De Berardinis paintings worth?

Olivia De Berardinis’s paintings can be worth anywhere from around a thousand dollars to over $65,000 for major work. The most ever paid for a De Berardinis painting at auction is $65,725 for the piece Amazon Warrior: Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman (Date not given) which sold on February 22nd, 2018. It was sold by Heritage Auctions. Heritage Auctions have helped sell three of the five top-selling Berardinis pieces at auction, including another Wonder Woman piece which sold for $40,630.

Where to buy Olivia De Berardinis paintings for sale?

See works for sale below. Why buy from Heritage? Art buyers feel confident because our experts know the market and put careful valuations on the artwork for sale. We make the bidding process easier to help you expand your art collection.

How to value Olivia De Berardinis paintings?

The best way to value art is to compare past auction prices for similar works. View past sale prices below. When you’re ready to sell, contact Heritage Auctions to request an auction estimate of the likely selling price at auction. If you need a formal written appraisal for estate planning or insurance, please contact our Appraisal Services Department.