John Coburn

b. 1925 - d. 2006

Born in Ingham, Queensland, John Coburn was as a prolific artist and celebrated painter, printmaker, draughtsman, tapestry designer and arts educator. He explored the richness of colour and a sense of place through organic forms and shapes, influenced by his love and respect of the Australian landscape. Over the years, John Coburn refined a subtle yet powerful symbolic language that reflect his positive and optimistic vision of life; work that enjoys popular and critical acclaim throughout the world. His immediately recognisable and highly iconic form of abstraction is unique.

Coburn’s work gained widespread acclaim through both painting and tapestry. He was commissioned to design two monumental tapestries—Curtain of the Sun and Curtain of the Moon—for the Sydney Opera House, and The Seven Days of Creation for the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. His work is held in major collections worldwide, including the Vatican Museum, and all Australian national and state galleries. In 1999, his art reached millions when Australia Post selected his Tree of Life and Madonna and Child for their Christmas stamps and aerograms, bringing abstract religious imagery into the public eye.

His work is held in the collections of Arte Religiosa e Moderna at the Vatican Museum, in all Australian State and national galleries, many regional galleries and universities, and in numerous corporate and private collections. John Coburn has held over 60 solo exhibitions and has been awarded the Order of Australia and an Honorary Doctorate of Literature.

John Coburn was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) in 1980 for his outstanding contribution to the arts. He later received honorary doctorates from James Cook University and the National Art School. A committed environmentalist and supporter of social causes, he also contributed to heritage conservation, land rights, and the republican movement. His luminous, deeply spiritual artworks continue to resonate with audiences today. Celebrating 100 years since his birth, Coburn’s legacy lives on—not only in the vibrancy of his colour and form, but in his role as a visionary who helped shape the course of Australian modern art.