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• Auction House:
  Bonhams Australia
• Sale Name:
  Important Australian Art
• Sale Date:
  29 Nov 2022 ~ 6pm (AEST)
• Lot #:
  9
• Lot Description:
  John Coburn
  (1925-2006)
  Le Deuxieme Jour, (The Second Day), 1969-70, from The Seven Days of Creation series of tapestries
  wool Aubusson tapestry, edition 1 of 3
  188.0 x 227.0cm (74 x 89 3/8in).
  woven signature lower right: 'Coburn'
  RELATED WORKS: The Seven Days of Creation, 1969-70, Aubusson Tapestries, in the collection of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, Washington, United States of America; The Second Day: God Separated the Light from the Dark, 1977, colour screenprint, edition of 50, 51.5 x 69.5cm
• Provenance:
  Sir Jack and Lady Zunz, United Kingdom, thence by descent; Private collection, United Kingdom
• Exhibited:
  Aubusson Tapestries, Bonython Galleries, Sydney, 21 April - 13 May 1970, and touring to Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth
• References:
  Alan Rozen, The Art of John Coburn, Ure Smith, Sydney, 1979, p. 62, pl. 28 (illus., another example); Lou Klepac, John Coburn: The Spirit of Colour, The Beagle Press, Sydney, 2003, pl. 67, p. 99 (illus. another example)
• Notes:
  John Coburn is one of Australia's most iconic and recognisable abstraction artists of the 20th century, his imagery defined by its bold colours and striking compositions. In 1969 at the height of Coburn's career he was recommended to architect Peter Hall to design the Sydney Opera House curtains. Hall had been appointed to take over from Danish architect Jorn Utzon, following his resignation from the project in 1966 after a dispute with the New South Wales government. Coburn's career had already taken a significant turn when he was the first Australian artist invited to design tapestries for the world-renowned Aubusson workshop, some 250 kilometres south of Paris, in the 500-year-old Chateau Felletin. Following the approval of his designs for the Sydney Opera House, Coburn relocated his young family to France granting him direct access to supervise the weaving process, allowing a more personal approach with the production of the tapestries. With such a high-profile commission came immediate fame, another series of seven tapestries titled The Seven Days of Creation was produced at the same time in an edition of three. The first edition was placed in distinguished private collections in Australia, Asia and the United Kingdom; the second edition was presented as a gift from the Australian Government to the United States and still hangs in the J.F. Kennedy centre for the performing arts in Washington; and the third edition was acquired by the ANZ banking group for display in their reception hall. The Seven Days of Creation tapestries are one of Coburns most important and ambitious tapestry projects. The idea had been building in his mind for several years until January 1969 when he made seven rough sketches, observing: ''I did them very quickly with very little conscious thought, but I knew that I had started on a major work, and I then decided that they would be ideal for a series of tapestries'. As a series they were designed as a set of vertical and horizontal panels, with the verticals placed at either end and in the middle. The designs have the artist's rich symbolism and resonant colours and he offers a lyrical interpretation of the Creation. He has impressively translated the sequential themes from Genesis into brilliant flat patterns using a powerful union of Byzantine feeling with twentieth century design.'1 Coburns tapestries, like his paintings, are beautiful. They are not just paintings redone in tapestry. Although the basic designs are derived from the same source, the finished work is a culmination of the craft of weaving and creative innovation.2 The present work, The Second Day: God separated the Light from the Dark, was acquired by Sir Jack Zunz, chief civil engineer who led the design team for the iconic Opera House roof and was instrumental in achieving such a unique vision. Alex Clark 1. Alan Rozen, The Art of John Coburn, Ure Smith, Sydney, 1979, p. 25; 2. Ibid., p. 24
• Estimate:
  A$25,000 - 35,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Art

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.