“Over her 33-year career, Deborah Halpern has produced an extraordinary body of work and through her numerous public sculptures has become well known and respected within the community.”

“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 Sant Phalle, yet all have become distinctly Halpernesque in their ability to delight and surprise.”

“Over her 27 year career Deborah Halpern has produced an incredible body of work and through her numerous public sculptures has become well-known and respected within the community.”

“Halpern is a remarkable artist; she is a sculptor, a painter, a potter, a printmaker, and a sometime cabaret performer! Her work can be exuberant and whimsical but is also imbued with a deep artistry.”

“Like all the best angels, she's joyous, bold and memorable. It's a work that has marked Deborah Halpern out as one Melbourne's most loved artists.”

“Ophelia has always been one of Southgate’s and Melbourne's most well known icons created by Melbourne artist Deborah Halpern.”

“Ophelia, once known as the “Face of Melbourne” stands outside the Southgate complex at Southbank, and was inspired by Shakespeare’s character in Hamlet.”

“Halpern is one of Melbourne’s most successful artists; the Angel is one of the city’s best known sculptures. Her Southbank sculpture, Ophelia... became the basis for Melbourne’s tourism image.”

“Deborah Halpern's images have helped define Melbourne’s identity.”

“Deborah Halpern is a highly recognised and respected contemporary artist with an acclaimed national and international reputation in the arts community.”

“Deborah Halpern is a rampantly fertile artist... Halpern's vision is not being starved of attention. Her work is sought after by private and public collectors, and, inevitably, it has broken out of the intimacy of home and gallery.”

“Deborah Halpern's work exposes an art form which is among the freshest, most vigorous and most experimental in Australia.”

“Deborah Halpern is one of Australia's liveliest and most ambitious exponents of ceramic sculpture.”

“Deborah Halpern's ceramics present a nerve-wracking challenge to any category lover.”

“The works of artist Deborah Halpern bring a contemporary vision to the time-honoured craft of ceramics that is fresh and fantastic.”

“Deborah Halpern's artworks are metaphors for human experience, and inform the viewer of the artists's ideas and emotions.”

“Deborah Halpern, for whom, one supposes, the medium itself and its innate qualities are subservient to the expression of ideas... Halpern’s methods reflect the sprightliness of her approach.”

“Deborah Halpern's Angel sculpture has a real sense of discovery and best captured the sense of the city of Melbourne.”  

“One of the challenges in this time of globalisation is not to lose sight of our Australian character. Artists must continue to forge our national identity, like Deborah Halpern, who embraces Australian larrikinism.”