The Art of John Coburn

John Coburn (1925-2006) Queensland born artist John Coburn is celebrated for his distinctive style of abstraction. Depicting the beauty of nature and the spirituality of landscape, Coburn has refined a subtle yet powerful symbolic language in the form of large-scale paintings and tapestries and vivid screenprints. He is perhaps best known for his designs of two large tapestries for the Sydney Opera House curtains, and a series of seven for the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, Washington. He is represented in the Australian National Gallery, Canberra; all state and regional galleries; and the Vatican Museum, Rome.

  John Coburn The Creation from the Book of Genesis 1977 The 1st Day: The Spirit of God brooded over the waters

John Coburn The Creation from the Book of Genesis 1977 The 2nd Day: And God separated the light from the dark

John Coburn Creation from the Book of Genesis: The 3rd Day 1977 God created the earth.

John Coburn Creation from the Book of Genesis: The 4th Day 1977

  John Coburn The Creation from the Book of Genesis 1977 The 5th Day: God created the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and the beasts of the land

  John Coburn The Creation from the Book of Genesis 1977 The 6th Day: God created man

  John Coburn The Creation from the Book of Genesis 1977 The 7th Day: God rested

John Coburn Resurrection 1988   John Coburn Resurrection 1988

John Coburn Death and Transfiguration 1988   John Coburn Death and Transfiguration 1988

  John Coburn Hozanna 1988

John Coburn (1925-2006) Queensland born artist John Coburn is celebrated for his distinctive style of abstraction. Depicting the beauty of nature and the spirituality of landscape, Coburn has refined a subtle yet powerful symbolic language in the form of large-scale paintings and tapestries and vivid screenprints. He is perhaps best known for his designs of two large tapestries for the Sydney Opera House curtains, and a series of seven for the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, Washington. He is represented in the Australian National Gallery, Canberra; all state and regional galleries; and the Vatican Museum, Rome.

  John Coburn Study for 'In the Beginning was the World' 1991 Mixed media on paper

  John Coburn Study for 'In the Beginning was the World' Mixed media on paper

John Coburn The Expulsion 1988 Oil on canvas   John Coburn The Expulsion 1988 Oil on canvas

John Coburn (b.1925) 1925 Born, Ingham, Queensland 1947-50 A.S.T.C Diploma Painting National Art School, East Sydney Technical College 1956-59 Graphic Designer for ABC 1959-68 Teacher, National Art School, Sydney and Canberra 1969-72 Lived in France, designed tapestries for Aubusson Workshops 1977 Travelled to New York, Washington and Paris 1977-80 Trustee, Art Gallery of NSW 1980 Order of Australia (A.M) 1985 Travelled to Moscow, St Petersburg, Paris and the south of France 1986 Travelled to Rome, Florence, Aubusson 1988 Travelled to Aubusson, Paris, London 1991 Honorary doctor literature James Cook University, Townsville 1991 Commissioned to design backdrop for World Council of Churches Assembly in Canberra 1993 – 94 Travelled to Hong Kong, Chianti, Florence, Sienna and Venice SOLO EXHIBITIONS Over 80 solo exhibitions since 1957 AWARDS 1959 Bathurst Art Prize 1960 Blake Prize for Religious Art 1962 Tamworth Prize 1963 Darcy Morris Memorial Prize 1963 Mirabooka Prize for Religious Art 1966 Maitland Art Prize 1977 Blake Prize for Religious Art(jointly with Rodney Milgate) 1994 Mandorla Art Award for Religious Art REPRESENTED Australian Public Collections National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Queensland Art Gallery, Brisabane National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston Benalla Regional Art Gallery, Victoria Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery, NSW Cairns Regional Gallery, Queensland Campbelltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery, Sydney City of Ipswich Collection, Global Arts Link, Queensland Geelong Gallery, Victoria and many regional galleries throughout Australia Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane and many University collections throughout Australia International Public Collections Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna Vatican Museum, Rome John Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington Auckland City Art Gallery, New Zealand Also in many international and Australian corporate collections.

John Coburn In Praise of the Sun 1966 Oil on canvas

  The Tower 1958 Oil on board

John Coburn (1925-2006) Lamentation 1986 Oil on canvas   John Coburn (1925-2006) Lamentation 1986 Oil on canvas

John Coburn Eastern City 1956 Oil on composition board   John Coburn Eastern City 1956 Oil on composition board

John Coburn Untitled (Abstract) Oil on canvas on board   John Coburn Untitled (Abstract) Oil on canvas on board

John Coburn Study for Desert Landscape Mixed media on paper   John Coburn Study for Desert Landscape Mixed media on paper

John Coburn Moon Dancer 1993 Acrylic and pencil on paper   John Coburn Moon Dancer 1993 Acrylic and pencil on paper

John Coburn Study for Uluru Mixed media on paper   John Coburn Study for Uluru Mixed media on paper

  John Coburn Study for Tapestry 'Tree of Life' 1996 Mixed media on paper

Study for Central Australia, 2003 Mixed media on paper   Study for Central Australia, 2003 Mixed media on paper

Study for Uluru, 2003 Gouache on paper   Study for Uluru, 2003 Gouache on paper

  John Coburn (1925-2006) Garden in Warrawee 1978 Acrylic on canvas on board

John Coburn Plants in Moonlight 1972 Oil on canvas   John Coburn Plants in Moonlight 1972 Oil on canvas

  Ah What is a Man (That you should be so mindful of him?) 1987 Oil on canvas

John Coburn Harbour 2002 Oil on canvas   John Coburn Harbour 2002 Oil on canvas

John Coburn Red Earth 2003 Oil on canvas   John Coburn Red Earth 2003 Oil on canvas

John Coburn Ancient Land 2001 Oil on canvas   John Coburn Ancient Land 2001 Oil on canvas

  John Coburn Night Tide 1961 Oil on board 103 x 90cm Signed 'Coburn' lower right Titled verso no.2216A John Coburn’s Night Tide is a superb early 1960’s painting by the late, great master of Australian abstraction. Completed in 1961, Night Tide is painted with thick textured paint mixed with sand and expresses Coburn’s interest in the spirit of nature. This painting was finished the year after John Coburn was awarded the Blake Prize for Religious Art and the same year he exhibited in the Helena Rubenstein Traveling Scholarship.

John Coburn Festive Image 1965 Oil on board   John Coburn Festive Image 1965 Oil on board

John Coburn Orange Sun Oil on canvas on board   John Coburn Orange Sun Oil on canvas on board

Desert Night with Moon, 2003 Oil on canvas   Desert Night with Moon, 2003 Oil on canvas

John Coburn Tribal Land 2003   John Coburn Tribal Land 2003

John Coburn Tree of Life 1988   John Coburn Tree of Life 1988

  John Coburn Bright Day 1978

John Coburn Flight of Birds 1978   John Coburn Flight of Birds 1978

John Coburn Tree of Life 1981   John Coburn Tree of Life 1981

John Coburn Curtain of the Sun, Sydney Opera House 1983   John Coburn Curtain of the Sun, Sydney Opera House 1983

John Coburn White Bird in the Garden 1985   John Coburn White Bird in the Garden 1985

  John Coburn Rare Bird 1987

John Coburn Paradise Garden 1988   John Coburn Paradise Garden 1988

  John Coburn Spring 1988

John Coburn Reflections 1974

John Coburn Walbiri 1984