Kathe Deutsch was born to Jewish émigré artist Erich Doitch, who fled Nazi persecution and relocated to England in 1939, and British artist Mary Fitzpayne, in London, England in 1954. Deutsch studied Fine Art at Leeds University, where among her distinguished tutors were Professor Sir Lawrence Gowing, Tim Clark, and Griselda Pollock, who introduced her to printmaking. After a period as a teacher and journalist, working in TV and relocating to Sussex, Deutsch returned to her own creativity, working in paint and print across a wide range of subjects and themes.
Painter and printmaker, Kathe Deutsch was born in 1954 in London, England to renowned Jewish émigré artist, Erich Doitch (formerly Deutsch), who found refuge from Nazi persecution in England in 1939, and British painter, Alice Mary Fitzpayne. Deutsch grew up in Maida Vale, Kilburn and Camberwell with her adopted brother of part Jamaican heritage from the Windrush Generation. She later recalled Camberwell's distinct atmosphere during the 1960s, when the neighbourhood was characterised by a mix of working class and West Indian immigrants, and a significant population of street drinkers (correspondence with the artist). Her childhood was marked by visits to refugee artists who had settled in London, as well as frequent trips to the bookshops on Charing Cross Road and the Viennese-style cafes of north-west London. Growing up, she met many prominent émigré artists, including Ernst Eisenmayer, Henry Inlander, Marie-Louise von Motesiczky (all Ben Uri Collection), and Helen Grunwald. When she was only 14, Deutsch began studying life drawing and anatomy during Saturday classes at the Sir John Cass School of Art (later, part of London Metropolitan University). Benefiting from the skills of several classically trained tutors who still taught there, she continued her studies until she was 19, whether as part of her A-level curriculum or simply sneaking in. She subsequently studied Fine Art at Leeds University (1974–78), where her notable tutors included Professor Sir Lawrence Gowing, Tim Clark, and Griselda Pollock.
After graduating, she pursued a PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) and taught fine art and art history, while also working as a freelance journalist. The demands of making a living led her to put aside her artistic career. Subsequently, she transitioned into television and collaborated on various projects with small film production companies that catered to the emerging new Channel 4. She returned to work after her children were born, working briefly at Leighton House Museum in Holland Park. The tragic loss of one of her children to cancer, coupled with relocating to a home overlooking the sea in Hastings, East Sussex, served as the ‘catalyst that sparked my enthusiastic return to a creative life that had been dormant for some years’ (correspondence with the artist). Deutsch attended sessions at Hastings College of Art, where she was taught by printmaker Martin Ware, and renowned mezzotinter, Susan Jameson. In her studio, she embarked on a modern reinterpretation of Goya’s Disasters of War. Additionally, she produced a series of etchings depicting boxers, inspired by her frequent visits to boxing clubs along the south coast. Deutsch's fascination with boxing was inherited from her father, who had been an amateur boxer in his younger years and she remains drawn to the distinct forms and protocols of boxing and the way athletes train. She also returned to oil painting, fascinated by the techniques employed by classical painters.
Despite living by the sea for many years, Deutsch has nevertheless retained an interest in the margins and wastelands of London, captivated by locations such as rubbish dumps, motorways, recycling facilities, and markets. She would often travel to London and take a bus to the North Circular road to observe various recycling plants. One such site was Angel Corner in Edmonton, north London, where metal was broken up, pulverised, and sorted into different types. From there, it was transported to River Road in Creekmouth, Barking, where it was loaded onto container ships bound for the Far East for re-processing. Deutsch is also inspired by a range of historical and mythological sources, often revisiting the medieval tale of the Ship of Fools, populating this allegorical narrative with passengers symbolising human folly and vanity. She has also depicted the Bonfire Boys parades, an annual event held throughout Sussex during the autumn to mark the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, during which participants march through Hastings Old Town dressed in black, ending at the beach where fireworks light up the sky and a large bonfire blazes. Deutsch notes, ‘There is a sense of anarchy in the air, and the sight of the flaming torches lends the Old Town a sinister aura’ (artist’s website). Additionally, the fishermen's huts of Hastings serve as inspiration. These towering three-storey edifices, used to store equipment storage and for drying nets, have been frequently depicted; however, Deutsch felt that their dark, almost sinister quality has often been missed and she aims to capture their unique 'blackness' in her work. Deutsch relocated from Hastings to London in 2015. Her recent series, ‘Jerkpans, draws inspiration from various West-Indian traditions such as the distinctive jerkpans used for roasting meat, black hairdressers, and blue barrels. Blue barrels are plastic food barrels used to transport dry goods from the UK to the Caribbean, where supplies can be hard to source.
Kathe Deutsch has shown her work in many venues, including Stratton Gallery, Hastings (2004) and Hastings Museum and Art Gallery (2008 and 2015). Her work is not currently represented in UK public collections.
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Kathe Deutsch]
Publications related to [Kathe Deutsch] in the Ben Uri Library