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Nov 09, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Australian artist John Coburn, known for his bold colors and organic shapes in paintings and in tapestries, has died at age 81.
Coburn, born in Ingham, Queensland, Sept. 23, 1925, died Nov. 7 following deteriorating health in the last few years of his life. After a series of strokes and a heart bypass, he entered a nursing home.
The Australian noted Wednesday "it was his painting of organic shapes that gave Coburn's work a quality unmatched by other Australian artists."
The Australian said one of Coburn's greatest works brought him the greatest deal of grief in his life, however. The Sydney Opera House curtains -- called "Curtains of the Sun" and "Curtains of the Moon" -- were not as treasured by performance directors who demeaned them and accused them of "clashing" with their drama.
He is survived by his wife, Doreen Gadsby, whom he married in 1991, and three children from his first marriage.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
