Renowned pinup artist Olivia De Berardinis -- known professionally as simply Olivia -- is the latest to contribute to DC Comics Publisher Jim Lee's art auction designed to benefit comic book shops affected by the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. And rather than a simple sketch, Olivia has crafted a full-blown painting depicting one other than DC's Catwoman.
Olivia's painting of infamous femme fatale cat burglar Selina Kyle was shared to Twitter by Lee himself. "So stoked to share [with you] that [Olivia] has graciously agreed to donate a gorgeous Catwoman painting to the cause to raise money for comic shops via [Binc Foundation]!" The painting is currently up for auction on Ebay, with bidding set to close on Monday afternoon. At the time of writing, the piece's price tag is nearing the $8,000 mark.
Olivia began her work in pinup art in the 1970s, becoming a contributor for Playboy magazine in the mid-1980s. Come 2004, Olivia landed her own monthly pinup page at the magazine, which often featured captions written by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. She has also contributed to various other magazines, as well as sold her art in the form of prints and greeting cards. This isn't even her first time painting Catwoman, having previously crafting a piece starring Julie Newmar's version of the character from the 1960s Adam West Batman television show.
Lee has pledged to draw a new sketch every day for 60 days, then put them up for auction, with the proceeds benefiting the Book Industry Charitable Foundation's efforts to help out comic book shops that have lost sales due to the global health crisis. Additionally, Lee has enlisted several other artists to contribute to the cause as well, including Olivia.