Deborah Klein’s visual language is distinct. Through it, she explores feminism and women’s histories, shining light on those absent from history in often unexpected ways. Working across a wide-ranging practice that includes linocut printmaking and intricately detailed acrylic paintings, Klein constructs layered artistic narratives that resonate with both historical and contemporary significance.

In many of Klein’s paintings, the faces of her female subjects are partially concealed or obscured by masks. These masks operate on multiple levels: they adorn the figure with a seductively decorative surface while simultaneously creating a sense of distance. The sitter becomes detached and enigmatic, her interior world withheld from the viewer.

In Klein’s 2024 painting 'Birds of a Feather', this concealment takes the form of two swans - one black and one white - elegantly sweeping across the subject’s face. With perfectly braided hair and carefully applied makeup, the woman at the centre of the painting initially appears to embody a classical ideal of feminine beauty. Yet, in typical Klein fashion, the portrait reveals greater complexity on closer inspection. Although she faces outward, the woman never quite meets the viewer’s gaze, evoking an earlier era in which women were primarily positioned to be looked at - expected to remain poised, restrained, and discreet.

Represented in public collections including the National Gallery of Victoria, Klein has won several awards over her career, including the Grand Prize, Silk Cut Award for Linocut Printmaking. In 2008 the survey show ‘Deborah Klein: Out of the Past 1995 - 2007’ toured to Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum, the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Warrnambool Art Gallery and Deakin University Art Gallery, Victoria. For collectors of contemporary and feminist art, this work is a compelling find.

Deborah KLEIN (1951 - )
'Birds of a Feather' 2024
Acrylic on canvas panel
Image Size: 30 x 30 cm
Dimensions: 32 x 32 x 4 cm
Signed: Signed and titled on verso.

Comes with Letter of Provenance

Condition:Excellent.

(c) The Artist or Assignee