John Coburn is regarded as one of Australia’s best-known and most recognisable abstract artists. His work continues to be widely collected and celebrated for its exquisite visual power and mythological narrative quality. On the surface, Coburn’s paintings embody a harmony of organic forms, rich colour, and compelling flatness. Looking deeper, they channel a spiritual energy through quasi-religious themes and iconographic stories that are at once human, divine, and earthly.

Coburn’s artistic mission was to create a distinctly Australian abstract visual language—one that drew together Western European culture, Roman Catholic symbolism, Jewish and Aboriginal spirituality, and the natural world. His Tree of Life motif, often depicted in the form of a menorah, evokes interconnectedness, renewal, and the unity of all creation. His international influences included Matisse, Miró, Mondrian, Picasso, and Rothko. His agnostic contemporaries watched with fascination as Coburn pursued his holy abstractions with conviction. Fellow artist Charles Blackman observed: “John Coburn… strives for the ideal. His commitment to the organic shape of his religious feeling has been unfailing.”

Through this lifelong pursuit, Coburn forged a radiant visual theology—one that continues to illuminate the spiritual dimension of Australian art.

John COBURN (1925 - 2006)
'Tree of Life ' 2001
oil on canvas
Image Size: 100 x 120 cm
Signed: Signed lower right Coburn; signed, titled and dated verso John Coburn, Tree of Life, 2001
Comes with Letter of Provenance
Condition: Excellent
(c) John Coburn / Copyright Agency