Historical information

Deborah KLEIN (1951- )
Born Melbourne, Victorian

Deborah Klein grew up in the inner southern suburb of St. Kilda and lived and worked in London from 1973 - 1980. The experience of living in both of these places was to have a significant and enduring influence on her work. She gained degree and post degree qualifications from Chisholm Institute of Technology, Melbourne and Gippsland College of Advanced Education, and a Research MA from Monash University, Gippsland.

Since 1988 Deborah Klein has held regular solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in Australia and internationally. Her work is represented in public and university museum collections throughout Australia.

This work was exhibited as part of "Parallel Prints", a Prints project which presents the same exhibition simultaneously in New Zealand, at Art at Wharepuke and at a gallery in another part of the world. Eleven Australian artists were invited to join New Zealand-based printmaker Mark Graver to contribute to a portfolio that will be shown simultaneously at Art at Wharepuke, New Zealand and the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Victoria. Using the uniqueness of the reproducible print allows for the same works to be viewed at the same time on opposite sides of the world. This highlights the democratic nature of printmaking and questions the aura of the unique. Which venue is showing the 'real' work? Which the reproduction?

The Australian artists showing alongside Mark Graver are James Pasakos, Bruno Leti, Martin King, David Frazer, John Neeson, Antonietta Covino-Beehre, Deborah Klein, Deborah Williams, Melissa Smith, Jodi Heffernan and Susanna Castleden.

The original concept, Parallel Prints NZ-UK in 2013, included invited artists from the UK and New Zealand. It featured the work of twelve diverse artists presented in a portfolio set. Each artist contributed one work on 300 x 300 mm paper in an edition of thirty-six. Part of the concept behind the project was to donate twelve of the portfolio sets to international collections. Institutions that have accepted a portfolio include the Victoria & Albert Museum and The Ashmolean Museum in the UK, the Jinling Museum of Art in Nanjing, China, and the Whangarei Art Museum, in New Zealand.

In 2015 a portfolio set was donated to the Federation University Art Collection.

This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 2000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.

Physical description

Framed, handcoloured linocut depicting a butterly with a female head with braided hair.

Inscriptions & markings

Edition 2/36