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Deborah Halpern facts for kids

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Deborah Halpern OAM (born 1957) is a famous Australian artist. She creates amazing sculptures, mosaics, and ceramic artworks. Many of her big, colourful pieces can be seen in public places around Melbourne.

Her Artistic Journey

Deborah Halpern was born in 1957. Her parents, Sylvia and Arthur Halpern, were also artists who worked with ceramics. They even helped start an art community called Potters Cottage.

Deborah began working with ceramics in 1975. She then studied different types of art, like painting, printmaking, and sculpture, at university. In 1981, she had her very first solo art show. Her art was also chosen for many other group exhibitions. For 25 years, her work was shown by the Christine Abrahams Gallery in Melbourne. She also earned a special diploma in Visual Arts in 1989.

Famous Artworks

Deborah Halpern gets ideas from artists like Pablo Picasso. Her most well-known sculptures are Angel and Ophelia.

Angel is a unique sculpture that was first shown at the National Gallery of Victoria. It is now located at Birrarung Marr, a park in Melbourne.

Ophelia is another famous sculpture. It stands by the Yarra River in Melbourne. This artwork was so popular that it was chosen as the official "Face of Melbourne" by Tourism Victoria in the 1990s!

In 2006, a special exhibition of Deborah's art was held at the Ian Potter Gallery. This show celebrated her career and the new home for her Angel sculpture. In 2012, she was even invited to create art for an international sculpture project in Shanghai, China.

Where to See Her Art

Here are some of Deborah Halpern's notable public artworks:

  • 1987–89 "Angel" at Birrarung Marr (it used to be at the National Gallery of Victoria)
  • "Family" at Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong
  • "Portal to Another Time and Place" at Port Leo Sculpture Park
  • "Mr Big" at Northland Shopping Centre
  • "Spirit of Enquiry" at Union Court, Australian National University
  • "Queen of the Shire" at Shire of Nillumbik
  • "Water Creature", "Big Cat", "Small Cat" at City of Manningham
  • "Power of the Community" at Beauty Park, Frankston South, Victoria
  • "Dove of Peace" at Luther College, Croydon, Victoria
  • Angel by Deborah Halpern 01a

    "Angel"

  • Sculpture melb4

    "Ophelia"

  • Hapern Sculpture Beauty Park Frankston

    "Power of Community"

  • Beautiful angel urquhart primary

    "Beautiful Angel"

Awards and Recognition

Deborah Halpern has received many awards for her amazing art over the years. Some of these include:

  • 1981 Professional Development Grant from the Australia Council
  • 1982 Artist in Residence at Croydon Community School
  • 1985 Grant to work and research art in France
  • 1990 Gold Prize for her sculpture 'Double Figure' at the Japan Expo
  • 1993 Sidney Myer, Australia Day Ceramic Award
  • 1996 Her sculpture 'Ophelia' became the new face of Melbourne
  • 2021 She received the Medal of the Order of Australia for her great contributions to the arts. This is a very special honour!
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