John Coburn’s passing in 2006 marked the end of an astonishing career spanning six decades at the forefront of Australian abstract painting. Coburn’s paintings, works on paper, tapestries and graphics are among the most recognisable in Australian art. Perhaps best known for the tapestries Curtain of the Sun and Curtain of the Moon, which he designed for the Sydney Opera House in 1970, his genius has received national and international recognition. Coburn is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, all state galleries and many regional galleries, in addition to many other public collections throughout Australia and overseas including Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna, the John F. Kennedy Centre, Washington, and the Vatican Museum, Rome.