Deborah Lerner

Lerner’s work considers the material properties of paint, the history of the medium, and how it can be used to explore the universal condition. As in the work of Jack Whitten, they use 'formal as a means to arrive at subject', with surface, edge, colour and composition being utilised to bring into being characteristics undervalued within our contemporary society.

Rooted in daily observation, Lerner’s sustained attention to the overlooked urban environment is echoed in the studio where all items are viewed with a curiosity for the application (or removal) of paint; bubble wrap and textured wallpaper sit happily alongside the traditional tools of brushes and palette knives. Ultimately, these are paintings unconcerned with specific topics but instead seek to raise questions around how we approach conversation. They advocate for a nuanced exploration of the quotidian, with each work being a venture into the unknown that seeks to capture a moment of balance between the contradictory notions that reside within us all.

Deborah Lerner (b. 1989) is an English painter based in London. She graduated with a BA from Camberwell College of Art in 2023, participated in the inaugural Apollo Painting School in 2024 and was selected for the 2025/26 cohort of New Contemporaries. For the past 3 years she has been travelling round the UK visiting public collections that contain work by the artist Prunella Clough.

Her duo show with Prunella Clough was featured in the Journal of Contemporary Painting (Oct 2025, Issue 11:1), and she was recently included by Home & Gardens on their list of ‘Artists to Know’ (June 2026).