Ralph Coburn

Ralph Coburn (1923–2018) was an American painter associated with geometric abstraction. His work is best known for its hard-edge compositions and carefully structured color relationships, often built from simplified geometric forms and flat areas of color. A friend of Ellsworth Kelly from Boston, he traveled to France in May 1949 at Kelly’s invitation. Coburn would spend the following years living between Boston and France, becoming part of the community of American artists working in Paris. During this period he met artists whose ideas he responded to, including Jean Arp and John Cage. Coburn was a close companion of E. Kelly and traveled with him on several occasions. In 1952, Coburn participated together with Kelly in the 6th Salon des Réalités Nouvelles.