Stephen Coburn and Rob Schumacher

Stephen Coburn and Rob Schumacher have been in partnership since 1998. They are industry specialists who work with many leading galleries and museums. Their area of expertise lies in the engineering and manufacture of custom cradles for the display of Aboriginal bark paintings.

Stephen has been a freelance conservator since 1999 and trained in the Conservation of Cultural Materials at Australian National University. He was also the Director of Conservation for Regional Galleries throughout NSW for many years. His conservation business, Coburn Fine Art, has carried out restorations on highly valuable international and Australian artworks.

Rob Schumacher worked at the Art Gallery of NSW for 20 years in Public Programs and in Building and Engineering Services. While working there, he suggested to the Conservation Department, a better method for supporting indigenous bark painting. After developing the system that Schumacher Coburn use today, he was engaged by Conservation to custom manufacture his improved display mounts for the bark paintings in the Gallery’s collection.

After manufacturing 100 of these for the Gallery, he began a partnership with Stephen Coburn. Together they have produced cradles for many public collections and galleries including The Maritime Museum, Wollongong Gallery, the Holmes à Court Collection, Drill Hall Gallery in Canberra, Annandale Galleries and many private collectors in Australia and USA.

They also design and manufacture display and storage systems for heavy, fragile, difficult or free-standing sculptures, wall-mounted sculptures and paintings.

All work is constructed at the Artists Precinct, Building 18, Middle Head Road, Mosman in Sydney.

Both Stephen and Rob are also exhibiting artists. Stephen is best known for his iconic sculptures and Rob is a landscape painter who also teaches painting and drawing.