DON BROWN

Early Years

Don Brown was born in 1962 in Norwich, England. He studied at the Central School of Art and Design in London, before completing an MA in sculpture at Chelsea School of Art in 1987. He lives and works in Suffolk, sharing a studio with his wife, artist Yoko Terauchi.

Brown first began modelling his wife in the late 1990s, initiating an enduring project that would define his practice. His choice to repeatedly depict the same subject across decades has produced an ongoing series of works that are as intimate as they are formally restrained. He brings classical traditions of sculpture into dialogue with a contemporary sensibility rooted in repetition, nuance and materiality.

Artworks

Don Brown's artworks are best known for their quiet devotion to a single subject—his wife Yoko—explored through a variety of materials and sculptural formats. His contemporary art practice is focused on the act of sustained observation and reinterpretation.

Yoko Series

Don Brown began sculpting his wife Yoko in 1999, initiating what has become a decades-long series of artworks that are as personal as they are formally refined. The sculptures, each titled simply Yoko, portray her in subtly varied poses and scales, from seated figures to reclining nudes. Cast in materials such as acrylic, bronze, and porcelain, these artworks reflect Brown's deep commitment to observation and repetition. Though rooted in figuration, the sculptures are not exact likenesses—they are carefully idealised, their surfaces smoothed and details pared down. The result is a body of work that conveys devotion, serenity, and timeless elegance within contemporary art.

Material Experimentation

Materiality plays a vital role in Don Brown's art, allowing him to manipulate light, surface, and presence. Early works in acrylic resin had a translucent, ghostlike quality, while later bronzes, finished in pale or dark patinas, emphasise mass and gravitas. His use of unglazed porcelain gives certain sculptures a powdery matte finish, softening contours and evoking classical statuary. These shifts in material also invite varied emotional registers: a bronze Yoko may feel solemn and weighty, while a porcelain version might suggest fragility or introspection. Brown's sensitivity to medium elevates each figure beyond mere representation, making material an active component of the artwork's meaning.

Minimalism and the Fragment

In addition to full-body sculptures, Don Brown frequently creates busts or partial figures that demonstrate his minimalist approach. By omitting limbs or truncating torsos, he abstracts the human form just enough to encourage broader formal contemplation. These fragmentary works recall classical ruins yet remain resolutely modern in their restraint and precision. Brown avoids expressive gestures or overt symbolism, instead letting proportion, balance and surface speak. This pared-down aesthetic places him within the lineage of minimalist sculpture while maintaining a strong connection to the human body. Through fragmentation, Brown's artworks gain an ambiguity that expands their interpretive scope without straying from their quiet intimacy.

Exhibitions

Don Brown has been the subject of both solo exhibitions and group exhibitions at important institutions and blue-chip galleries. A selection of important exhibitions are provided below.

Solo Exhibitions

• a late summer breeze, Sadie Coles HQ, London (2024)
• Fleurs, Sadie Coles HQ, London (2020)
• Yoko, Christian Larsen (now: Larsen Warner), Stockholm
• New Sculptures and Drawings, Galleria Lorcan O'Neill Roma, Rome (2010)

Group Exhibitions

• Drawn Together Again, Flag Art Foundation, New York (2019)
• Night in the Museum: Ryan Gander Curates the Arts Council Collection, Longside Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, U.K. (2016)
• Opening Exhibition, Le Consortium, Dijon (2011)
• The Naked Portrait, 1900–2007, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh (2007)
• Second Skin, Henry Moore Institute, Leeds (2002)

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Ocula | 2025