Deborah Azzopardi (b.1958), British contemporary artist, lives and works in London, best known for her bold, playful works in her very unique Pop Art style. Over the past four decades, she has developed a distinct visual language that draws on the flat, graphic aesthetic of 1960s American Pop Art, echoing the influence of Roy Lichtenstein with a uniquely British, feminine perspective. Working with vibrant colour palettes, bold outlines, and subtle tonal shading, Deborah’s distinctive style is widely recognised, admired, and collected around the world. Her iconic painting Ssshh… has had global recognition, and her collection of art images has become widely reproduced in the contemporary art world.
Early in her career in the 1980s, Deborah was licensed by The Walt Disney Company, sharpening her skills in graphic narrative and composition. Deborah’s canvases often depict cropped close-ups of women in moments of intimacy, surprise, or mischief, infused with humour, sensuality, and pop culture flair. She continues to live and work in London, evolving her practice while maintaining the visual immediacy and charm that have become her signature.
In March 2014, the artist held her first solo UK exhibition of original works and limited editions, presented by Cynthia Corbett Gallery on Cork Street, London. The occasion also marked the launch of her debut book Sshh…, which showcases a decade of her work and features over 100 images, along with a foreword by art critic Estelle Lovatt FRSA. As Lovatt writes, “America has Lichtenstein, we have Azzopardi!”
Lovatt goes on to comment: “Sometimes you just want to curl up under a blanket. With a good book. A piece of chocolate. A man. This is what Deborah Azzopardi’s pictures make me feel like doing. They are me. They remind me of the time I had a red convertible sports car. I had two, actually. And yes, they are you, too. You immediately, automatically, engage with the narrative of Azzopardi’s conversational visual humour. Laughter is the best aphrodisiac, as you know. ... There’s plenty of art historical references from... Manet’s suggestive Olympia; Boucher’s thought-provoking... Louise O’Murphy and Fragonard’s frivolous, knickerless, The Swing.... Unique in approach, you easily recognise an Azzopardi picture. ... Working simple graphics and toned shading (for depth), the Pop Art line that Azzopardi sketches is different to Lichtenstein’s. Hers is more curvaceous. Feminine.”
The world is familiar with Azzopardi’s artworks, as many of them have been published internationally. Her original paintings, such as the Habitat Dating series (2004/08), the iconic One Lump Or Two? (2014) and Love Is The Answer (2016), created by the artist at the request of Mitch and Janis Winehouse as a tribute to their daughter, are in great demand.
Deborah Azzopardi has been represented internationally by Cynthia Corbett Gallery since 2010.