John Coburn Biography

23 September 1925 – 7 November 2006

Australian artist John Coburn (1925 - 2006) expressed his admiration for and sense of spiritual connection to nature through the creation of abstract paintings, tapestry designs and printmaking. Though initially on a separate path from other postwar Australian artists, he gained recognition later in life as one of Australia's foremost abstract artists. Born in 1925 in Ingham, Coburn left school at 15 to work at a bank. After serving as a navy radio operator in World War II, which allowed him to travel and find inspiration in a variety of different environments, he pursued art studies at the East Sydney Technical College. After graduating in 1952, Coburn started to find his own creative style, implementing a personalised symbolic language that utilised large abstracted, colourful shapes and compositions.  In 1969, Coburn was commissioned by architect Peter Hall to design theatre curtains for the Sydney Opera House. Collaborating with French weaving house Pinton Frères, he gained widespread fame for these two pieces. Despite his passing in 2006, Coburn’s legacy lives on as a true artistic pioneer.