DEBORAH BROWN

About Deborah

Deborah Brown was born in 1955 in Walnut Creek, California and grew up in Pasadena, California. She received a BA from Yale University and an MFA from Indiana University.  Solo exhibitions of her work have been presented in galleries in the United States and Europe, including König Galerie, Berlin, Germany (upcoming); Scott Miller Projects, Birmingham, Alabama; Anna Zorina Gallery, New York; Unit London, UK; Gavlak Gallery, Los Angeles and Palm Beach; The Lodge, Los Angeles; Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art, Houston, TX; and Lesley Heller Gallery, New York, among others. Brown has been a tenured professor at Carleton College and a visiting artist and lecturer at Penn State University, Hunter College, Pace University, Columbia University, Maryland Institute College of Art, Yale University and Art Omi.  Her work can be found in numerous institutional collections, including the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, Massachusetts, the Bass Museum of Art, Miami and the Orlando Museum of Art, Florida, among others. Brown currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

“Deborah Brown's recent paintings were executed during the Covid-19 pandemic in New York where the artist lives and works. Reflecting a time of social isolation, the paintings depict individuals in domestic settings with their pets, as well as still life objects drawn from the artist's collections. The common thread is an examination of what it means to be human in a time of loss and resilience.
Drawing on the history of portraiture in Western Art, the artist aims to represent the consciousness of the sitter and the phenomenological act of seeing that unfolds when the viewer meets the gaze of the subject portrayed. The artist explores the way that composition influences narrative by conducting the viewer through the space of the painting. Different viewpoints are employed to place the viewer in a variety of roles: friend, observer, intruder, story teller. The still lives function like portraits as well, revealing the life of the artist who chose to paint them and functioning as gatekeepers to the artist's thoughts and feelings. Through the action of the paint and brushwork, the figurines, plants and domestic articles come alive and assume human character. The environment created by the paintings is both specific and universal, reminding us that each of us is alone in our inner and external worlds.” - Deborah Brown

Education

1976 - B.A., Yale University, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

1978 - M.F.A., Indiana University, Bloomington

Selected Exhibitions

2022 - "Domesticity," Nassima Landau, Tel Aviv, Israel

2021-22 - "The Shadow Paintings," Hall Art Foundation, Schloss Derneburg Museum Derneburg, Germany

2020 - "Return to Forever," Gavlak, Palm Beach, FL

2021 - "Quiet City," Anna Zorina Gallery, High Line Nine, New York

2021 - "Shadow Paintings," Scott Miller Projects, Birmingham, AL

2021 - "Nomad Exquisite," Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art, Houston, TX

Notable Public & Private Collections

Indianapolis Museum of Art
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, Massachusetts
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Malibu
Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi
Bass Museum of Art, Miami
Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock
Mobile Museum of Art, Alabama
Orlando Museum of Art, Florida
The Art Museum at Florida International University, Miami
The Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina
Beth Rudin DeWoody
Andy and Christine Hall
Alan Lau
Johnson X. Yang
Nion McEvoy
Rob Thomas and Eric Suwall
Douglas Andrews
Charlie Ferrer
Michel Cohen
Pamela and David Hornik
Sara Vance Waddell
Ann and Mel Schaffer
Raymond J. Learsy
Sue Stoffel
JP Morgan Chase Art Collection
City of New York, Health and Hospitals Corporation
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Laura and John Arnold Foundation, New York and Houston
United States Dept. of State, U.S. Embassy, Bogota, Colombia
Tudor Investments, Greenwich, Connecticut
ExxonMobil, Houston, Texas
Fidelity Investments, Boston

Why we like it

• Deborah is considered one of the most regarded American painters of her generation

• Her work can be found in very important public and private collections including the ones of JP Morgan Chase, Citi Bank, Ann & Mel Schaffer and Andy & Christine Hall

• Some of the world’s leading galleries are prominently featuring her work: Nassima Landau, Unit London…

• High profile institutional shows such as The Hall Foundation

• She has a promising secondary market already established

• Prices have already increased for comparable works since NAAC acquired Hoop - 20 000 USD (compared to 16 000 USD)

Auction History

Christie's New York - May 2022

What others are saying

Katy Cowan, 'Quiet City: Paintings by Deborah Brown of dog walks on the empty streets of Brooklyn', Creative Boom, September 2021

What is included

• The value of the artwork (£13,300 incl. VAT)

• Collection, crating, shipping & import duties (£2,595 incl. VAT)

• Condition report and photography (£350 incl. VAT)

• 10% Admin fee (£1,330 incl. VAT)

• Insurance and storage (covered by NAAC)