In the 1950s, artists Gene Bilbrew and Eric Stanton were among the first to paint Bettie images. In 1979, artist Robert Blue had a show titled "Steps Into Space", at a gallery on Melrose Place in Los Angeles, where he showed his collection of Bettie Page paintings. At that time in New York, De Berardinis had begun painting Bettie for Italian jean manufacturer Fiorucci. De Berardinis has continued to paint Bettie, and compiled a collection of this artwork in a book titled "Bettie Page by Olivia" (2006), with a foreword by Hugh Hefner.