Creator of many of Melbourne’s most loved public sculptures, Halpern’s works exude an innate vitality and alluring simplicity. Spontaneous in form, her creatures are painted in a style that recalls visions of Gaudi, Picasso and the playful surrealism of French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle, yet all have become distinctly Halpernesque in their ability to delight and surprise.
2015 Anthea Polson Art, Strange Creatures From A Phenomenal Planet
2015 Mossgreen Gallery, Through The Forest
2015 Arthouse Gallery, ‘Duck Duck Goose’
2014 Mossgreen Gallery, ‘Ghost Worms and Glass Hearts’
2013 Mossgreen Gallery, ‘Creatures from the Studio’
2012 The Melbourne Art Fair, Exhibited by Mossgreen Gallery, Melbourne
2011 New Works, Mossgreen Gallery, Melbourne
2010 Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2009 Mossgreen Gallery, Melbourne
2008 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
2007 weird little things… Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
2006 Deborah Halpern: Angel, Survey Exhibition, Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
2006 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
2003 – 2004 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
2001 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1999 – 2001 Buschlen Mowatt Fine Art Gallery, Vancouver Canada
1999 Art’s Toys, Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1998 Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT
1997 Despard Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania
1996 Small Works, Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1995 Sculptures & Works on Paper, Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1991 – 1992 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1989 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1989 Irving Sculpture Gallery, Sydney, NSW
1987 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1985 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1983 Rosies Gallery, Albert Park, Victoria
1981 Blackwood Street Gallery, Meat Market Craft Centre with assistance from Craft Board of Aust Council
1978 Two Person exhibition with Sylvia Halpern, Potters’ Cottage, Warrandyte
Santettes, Boxettes, Performance, Melbourne
1979 Flaming Stars, Performance, Melbourne
Missing Persons, Performance, Flying Trapeze Cabaret Cafe, Melbourne
1980 Whittles with the Lot, Performance, Last Laugh Theatre Restaurant, Melbourne
1981 Victorian Ceramic Group, Annual Member’s Exhibition, Melbourne
1982 Australian Crafts 1982, Meat Market Craft Centre, Melbourne
Victorian Ceramics Group Exhibition, Potters Gallery, Sydney
Indulgences, Craft Council’s Centre Gallery, Sydney
Mad Hatters’ Tea Party, The Australian Craftworks, Sydney
Teapot 1, The Old Bakery Gallery, Sydney
The Christmas Show, Craft Council’s Centre Gallery, Sydney
1983 Victorian Ceramic Group, Annual Member’s Exhibition
1984 Australian Crafts 1984, Meat Market Craft Centre, Melbourne
Sheer Madness, 3 Person Exhibition, Gryphon Gallery
Sculptors as Craftsmen, Meat Market Craft Centre
Current Visions in Intimate Sculpture, Profile Gallery, Melbourne
Arts & Crafts Society of Victoria Fifth Annual Craft Award Exhibition
The First Great Annual Ceramic Show, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Ballarat
Christmas Collections, Craft Council’s Centre Gallery, Sydney
The Post Atomic Card Show, Universal Workshop; Sculpture ‘85, Melbourne
Second Australian Sculpture Triennial, NGV
Eight Young Australians, Craftlink, Melbourne
Festival of Jewish Artists, Temple Beth Israel, Melbourne
1985 Just for Show, Shepparton Art Gallery, Victoria (touring)
Teapot 3, Old Bakery Gallery, Sydney
Australian Crafts 1985, Meat Market Craft Centre, Melbourne
1986 A First Look, Philip Morris Arts Grant Purchases 1983-6 ANG, Canberra
1987 Australian Crafts 1987, Meat Market Craft Centre, Melbourne
1988 50 Fine Artists, Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, Showgrounds, Melbourne
Common Ground, Fifth National Ceramic Conference, Irving Sculpture Gallery, Sydney
Jewish Festival of the Arts, Christine Abrahams Gallery
Australian Crafts 1988, Meat Market Craft Centre
The New Generation 1983 – 1988, Australian National Gallery, Canberra
The Fringe Furniture Show, Spoleto Fringe Festival, Melbourne
1989 Decade, Meat Market Craft Centre, Melbourne
1990 Affiliations, Monash University Gallery, Victoria
1990 Tea for Two, Meat Market Craft Centre, Melbourne
Second Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
Alice 125, Carrol Foundation, Melbourne
1990-1 Halpern and Murphy Ceramics Exhibition, Shepparton Art Gallery (touring)
1991 The Total Look – Locating Furniture, Plimsoll Gallery, Centre for the Arts, Hobart
1992 10 Square Works for Wilderness, The Wilderness Society, Linden Gallery, Melbourne
Southgate Art Exhibition, Westpac Gallery 3, Victorian Arts Centre
Third Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Melbourne
1992-4 Decorated Clay, touring exhibition, Queensland Art Gallery
1992-4 Dame Edna Regrets She Is Unable to Attend, touring, Heide Park & Art Gallery, AETA,
Aust Council
1994 Colin and Cecily Rigg Craft Award, NGV
Then & Now, Victorian Ceramics Group, Meat Market Craft Centre, Melbourne
1995 12th Biennial Spring Festival of Drawing, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
Works on Paper – A Selection, Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
Useless Objects & Real Things, Second National Crafts Conference, Melbourne
Selected Recent Purchases for the QUT Art Collection, QLD Uni. Of Technology
1996 A Sculpture Walk in the Royal Botanic Gardens, 150th Anniversary, Melbourne
Sculpture 3, Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Victoria
Univ. of Western Sydney Macarthur National Printmedia Acquisitive, Casula Powerhouse
Arts Centre
The Bowled and the Beautiful, Hewitt’s Art Bookshop, Fremantle, WA
12th Biennial Spring Festival of Drawing, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
1996-7 The National Sculpture Trail, Victoria University, Footscray, Victoria
1997 Then & Now, Meat Market Craft Centre, Melbourne
Pathways, Manningham Artspace, Doncaster
Bowled Over, Savode Gallery, Brisbane
Copelen Chairs, Copelen Family Services, auction at Sothebys Melbourne
1998 Heartworks, Sydney Central Mission, auction at Centrepoint Tower, Sydney
Copelen Chairs, Copelen Family Services, Melbourne
2002 2002 Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
2004 VIVID, Art Auction for The Greens, Fortyfivedownstairs Gallery, Melbourne
2004 Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
2005 Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award – Highly Commended Award
2006 The Gathering, Wangaratta Exhibitions Gallery, Wangaratta
2008 The Dream Festival, Melbourne
2010 Christmas Portrait Show, Anthea Polson Art, Qld
2011 8 Days Before Christmas Our Artists’ Special Christnas Show, Anthea Polson Art, Qld
2019 The Shape Of Things, Anthea Polson Art, Qld (October)
1987-89 ‘Angel’, Bicentennial Sculpture, National Gallery of Victoria
1987 Fitzroy Nursery, iron entrance gates, Brunswick St. Fitzroy, Victoria
1989 Margaret Murphy Memorial Mural, Shepparton, Victoria
1990 ‘Double Figure’, Melbourne City Council for the International Garden and Greenery Exposition, Osaka
1991 ‘Mermaid’, mural fountain, private commission, Melbourne
Designs for merchandise, The Gallery Shop, NGV
1992 ‘Ophelia’, Southgate Project, Melbourne
Designs for Australian Ballet international tour, promotional material
1995 ‘Family’, Highpoint Project, ceramic tiled sculpture/fountains
1997 ‘Face Maze’, Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne
2001 ‘The Spirit of Enquiry’, Australian National University, Canberra
2001 ‘The Spirit of Nilumbik’, Eltham Town Square, Shire of Nilumik
2002 ‘Beauty Park’, City of Frankston
2019 ‘The Shape Of Things’ Anthea Polson Art, Qld (October)
Aichi Arts Centre, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Artbank
Australian National University, Canberra
Australian National Gallery, Canberra
Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
Box Hill College of T.A.F.E. Collection
City of Frankston
City of Yarra
Council of Adult Education Collection
Diners Club International
Geelong Art Gallery
Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne
Melbourne University Collection Metricon Homes
National Australia Bank
National Gallery of Victoria
Osaka Sculpture Park, Japan
Queensland Art Gallery
Queensland University of Technology
Shepparton Art Gallery
Southgate Collection, Melbourne
University of New South Wales
University of Southern Queensland
Victorian Ceramic Group Collection
Victorian State Craft Collection
Visy Packaging
Numerous Private and Corporate Collections in Australia & USA
1981 Professional Development Grant, Crafts Board, Australia Council
1982 Artist in Residence, Croydon Community School, Artists in Schools Program
1984 Arts and Crafts Society of Victoria’s Fifth Annual Award, Joint Winner
Artist in Residence, Narre Warren North Primary, Artists in Schools Program
1985 Crafts Board, Australia Council Grant to work and research in France
1987 Assistant’s Grant, Craft Board, Australia Council
1988 The Myer Foundation; The Art Foundation, NGV; The Readymix Group
1989 Special Projects Grant, Visual Arts/Craft Board, Australia Council
1990 Gold Prize, ‘Double Figure’, Japan Ass’n for International Garden & Greenery Exposition,
Osaka Expo
1993 Sidney Myer, Australia Day Ceramic Award, Shepparton Art Gallery
1994 Golden Threads Award, Australian Wool Board, Sydney
1996 Atom Award for ‘Angel’ (see Electronic Media section)
1996 ‘Ophelia’, the sculpture at Southgate – is chosen to become the new face of Melbourne
2005 Highly Commended Award, The Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award, Werribee Park,
Vic
October 19, 2019 - October 30, 2019
November 7, 2015 - November 21, 2015
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