B. 1949

Leonard Brown’s work might be characterised as one of strong contrasts, splitting his artistic output between highly abstract compositions, and iconographic images that reflect his devotion to the theology and artistic traditions of Byzantine-era Russian Orthodoxy. Though starkly different in their formal qualities, for Brown both sides provide a means to access a meditative space through art-making. Whether this is via the unpredictability of printmaking, or through the continuation of age-old techniques a deep spirituality underpins his chosen process.

Brown was born in Brisbane and remains living and working there to this day, though he has travelled and studied widely throughout Australia and abroad. His biography tells a unique story of an artist unbeholden to contemporary trends, having devoted himself to leading a solitary monastic life throughout most of the 1990s. All the while his artistic practice has never faltered, continuously producing work from the 1970s to this day - equally comfortable with experimental printmaking, and painstakingly detailed egg tempera and gold leaf icon painting.

Leonard Brown’s abstract works have been widely collected by all major Australian institutions, including the Queensland Art Gallery (QAGOMA), National Gallery of Australia, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. However, the prospect of his icon paintings entering an institution is, to Brown, “a future sealed”. For these works he prefers a domestic space, under graduating light - as he says, ”living with icons or painting brings great joy”.