Robyn Berkeley - Biography

Robyn Berkeley had the good fortune to begin at the top when her business began exactly 30 years ago. She and then-partner, Geraldine Ricca, were as green as grass, and they hopefully wrote off to 10 leading artists, asking if they would be interested in talking about printing together.

The planets must have all been aligned that week, because the only person to write back was in fact the artist right at the top of their wish list - none other than Arthur Boyd. Robyn: "He was so wonderful, telling us that if we were game to give it a go, then he was too. And so began a relationship that was immensely rewarding, both professionally and personally. He was such a gentleman, and I miss him to this day - although we still sell his works, so I get to look at them on the walls every day, and it makes me smile."

Geraldine Ricca had a Fine Arts degree from London's V & A, while Robyn came from a varied background that included nursing, fashion compering, running a restaurant and operating her own public relations firm. She laughs: ‘When I left school my mother begged me to go into the Public Service so I'd have a job for life, and she almost collapsed when I opened my own PR company at 21. She figured I was headed for financial ruin!"

As it turned out, Robyn threw herself into each new career with gusto, but it has turned out that the art world was where she was meant to be, and what began as Fine Arts International morphed into Berkeley Editions after 5 years when she acquired Italy-based Geraldine Ricca's share of the business.

Her philosophy has never wavered: only EVER work with the best of the best, and today her ‘stable' of artists includes such luminaries as Charles Blackman, Margaret Olley, Garry Shead, Jason Benjamin, Melissa Egan and Craig Ruddy.

The other key to how Robyn Berkeley operates (and this is innate) is that she treats the artists she works with over and over again like family. An indication of that are the countless wonderful gatherings at her waterfront Pittwater home, where artists and others congregate in front of the open fire for lunches that often go long into the night. In fact, it was after one such occasion that Archibald finalist (14 times over) Kerrie Lester, was inspired to create ‘Catch This' for Berkeley Editions, which captures the charms of life on Pittwater.

Back in town, Robyn is just as enthusiastic about entertaining her much-loved artist pals - such as the warm and wonderful lunch she gave for Margaret Olley's 85th birthday. "I'm so blessed because of these rich associations. For instance, I learn so much from Olley about living life to the full - and from the conversations I had with Arthur Boyd when I would stay at his home, Bundanon, I learnt that criticism can be a very negative force indeed."

Speaking of family, Robyn's two children, Luisa and Carlo, have both worked in the business at different times, while her little grandchildren, Manon and Marco, love visiting Berkeley Editions, where 8-year-old Manon keeps a set of colouring-in pencils. "She's developing as quite an artist," says her proud grandmother.

When asked what the future holds as Robyn enters her fourth decade in the business she says: "I intend extending even further into Asian markets, and there's another exciting direction I'm looking at - but that's a secret for now. Overall I'd say that we'll keep doing what we do well, and having enormous fun in the process!"