Sharon Olson, seen with Gil Elvgren in the 1970s, modeled for “Sharon 1975,” which was painted when she was 40. (Olson family/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

When Sharon Olson walked into a room, the place went quiet. Described as a "stunning blonde," she was the model for pinup artist Gil Elvgren's "Sharon 1975."

She also modeled for Helena Rubinstein cosmetics and appeared in advertisements in several national magazines. But she was best known for her work with Elvgren, a St. Paul native often described as the most important pinup and glamour artist of the 20th century. Sneered at by the fine arts community, Elvgren's original oils now fetch upward of $200,000 a piece. The record sale for an Elvgren is about $500,000.

Olson, of Apple Valley, died Oct. 16. She was 80, one of the last surviving of Elvgren's models.

While less than modest, Elvgren's paintings were never vulgar and often had a flirty humorous touch, with a flash of garter or cleavage exposed by an errant pump handle or gust of wind. They also displayed refined technical skills that rivaled contemporary artists and illustrators, like friends Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish.

The women reflected a post-World War II wholesomeness, said Louis Meisel, whose New York gallery has sold Elvgrens to actors Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone, among others. Meisel is the author of several books on pinups and his book, "Gil Elvgren: All His Glamorous American Pin-Ups," is described as the definitive Elvgren resource.

Elvgren had specific requirements for his models, and Olson, who measured 36-22-35, fit the bill.

"It was the all-American girl, they were pretty and sexy but chaste. He invented that," Meisel said.

Olson's fellow Elvgren models included Hollywood actresses Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak, Donna Reed and Barbara Hale. Her husband, William, worked for St. Paul-based Brown & Bigelow, a distributor of promotional products and calendar advertising, for many years and the couple became personal friends with Elvgren. At one time they owned 77 of Elvgren's original paintings that were used in Brown & Bigelow calendars, but the family sold them off in the 1970s for $50 a piece.

"Sharon 1975" was painted when she was 40 and features her sitting on a tuffet and holding a single red rose. She is wearing a long ivory dress with plunging décolleté, her blond hair in a bouffant.

She started modeling in the late 1950s, sometimes just her eyes for makeup products. Elvgren asked her to model for him after meeting her at Brown & Bigelow.

"She was one of those women, when she walked into the room, it kind of went silent," said a daughter, Roberta Bollenbach. "Without liposuction or anything, she had this little tiny waist you could almost get your hands around. And it was natural."

A grandson, Christopher Bollenbach, said even in her later years his grandmother maintained a beauty regimen and discipline that kept her skin wrinkle-free.

"I always compared her to an old-fashioned movie star from the old days of Hollywood," he said. "Even if she was just going to the store it would take her a long time to get ready because she always had to be beautiful wherever she went."

She was the youngest of 10 children born to Bruce and Mary Peck in 1935, in Fairmont, Minn. She married William, also from Fairmont, in 1955.

She is preceded in death by her parents and eight siblings. She is survived by William, her husband of 60 years; two daughters, Paula Olson of Bloomington and Roberta of Apple Valley; two grandsons, Christopher of Apple Valley and Nicholas Bollenbach of Edina; and one sister, Velma Wickert of Medford, Minn.

A celebration of her life will be held Nov. 8 from noon to 10 p.m. at York Place Apartments, 3121 W. 69th St., in Edina.

Mark Brunswick • 612-673-4434