Dean Bowen was born in Maryborough, Victoria in 1957 where he was raised and undertook his primary and secondary education. Bowen has gone on to become a major Australian artist whose work is found in public and private collections both in Australia and overseas including France, Japan and the United States of America. Bowen has an extensive exhibition history commencing in 1983 with over 90 solo exhibitions and participation in many group exhibitions. Bowen has been the recipient of many Awards and Prizes, commencing in 1978 with the Maryborough Arts Centre Award (Victoria). Bowen’s sculptures have been commissioned by municipalities around Australia including the following Victorian local government areas: City of Wodonga, Wyndham City, Hobsons Bay City Council and the City of Greater Shepparton. Extensive literature has been written on the artist, including the recent 2021 publication titled Nitty-Gritty: the Sculpture of Dean Bowen by Andrew Stephens.

This is the first sculpture survey of Bowen’s work since 2008 and presents over 30 bronze sculptures and assemblages from the artist’s collection, spanning an 18-year period from 2004 to 2022. The sculptures in the exhibition will be presented in areas of imagery that the artist has and continues to explore; people and children, animals, and art works that represent hope, love and aspiration.

This is a timely and important exhibition that Central Goldfields Art Gallery is proud to present. It is nine years since Central Goldfields Art Gallery held a major, solo exhibition of the work of Dean Bowen. Memories and childhood are acknowledged by the artist as being important in his artistic imagery so a major survey of the artist’s work to celebrate the launch of the Central Goldfields Art Gallery in Maryborough after a major redevelopment is fitting. 

Listen to Dean Bowen talk about his sculptures and the processes involved in making them in this short video.

For a more in-depth perspective on Dean Bowen, Argy Bargy is a fascinating 60 minute documentary film about the life and work of Dean Bowen.

Argy Bargy provides insights into Bowen’s practice and takes us inside the artist’s studio, providing us with a deeper insight into his artwork and inspiration that relates to universal topics of hope, humanity and the environment.

To view Argy Bargy go to: Dean Bowen In Film