William N. Copley

(American, 1919–1996)

William N. Copley was an American artist known for his erotic and humorous paintings of faceless figures. Also a collector, writer, and gallerist, his space Copley Galleries exhibited Surrealist works by René Magritte, Marcel Duchamp, and Max Ernst in postwar Los Angeles. “I thought that by painting I could sharpen my visual perception and be able to transmit that into my writing,” he once explained. “And once I got started painting I never returned to writing really except for a brief period of journalism.” Born on January 24, 1919 in New York, NY, he was adopted by Ira C. Copley in 1921 and grew up in Aurora, IL. The artist went on to study at Phillips Academy Andover and Yale University before being drafted in the army. Returning home, he worked as a reporter for his father’s newspaper in Los Angeles, where he met his wife Marjorie Doris Wead. It was his wife’s sister’s husband, John Ployardt, with whom Copley eventually started a gallery. After the short-lived gallery went under, he moved to Paris to pursue his painting career, influenced and encouraged by his friends Duchamp and Ernst. Through the following decades, Copley explored romantic relationships and sexuality through his X-rated work, merging a humorous American Pop Art sensibility with his Surrealist roots. The artist died on May 7, 1996 in Key West, FL. Today, his works are included in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.

William N. Copley News

Art Fairs

Price Check! Here's What Sold—and for How Much—at Art Basel Miami Beach

by Artnet News
Price Check! Here's What Sold—and for How Much—at Art Basel Miami Beach
Opinion

William Copley's Truth in Flagvertising

by Blake Gopnik
William Copley's Truth in Flagvertising
Analysis

See the Top 7 Booths at Art Cologne 2016

by Hili Perlson
See the Top 7 Booths at Art Cologne 2016

William N. Copley Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

William N. Copley (670 results)
Bathroom Shelf, 1983

William N. Copley

Bathroom Shelf, 1983

Sale Date: November 1, 1994

Auction Closed

Nu au drapeau, 1962

William N. Copley

Nu au drapeau, 1962

Sale Date: October 18, 1994

Auction Closed

Je m'en fou, 1962

William N. Copley

Je m'en fou, 1962

Sale Date: May 3, 1994

Auction Closed

LIEGENDER WEIBLICHER AKT, 1973

William N. Copley

LIEGENDER WEIBLICHER AKT, 1973

Sale Date: December 3, 1993

Auction Closed

LA TERRASSE DE CAFE AU BOIS DE BOULOGNE, 1959

William N. Copley

LA TERRASSE DE CAFE AU BOIS DE BOULOGNE, 1959

Sale Date: April 8, 1993

Auction Closed

SAYSME NO. 6, 1957

William N. Copley

SAYSME NO. 6, 1957

Sale Date: February 22, 1993

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1982

William N. Copley

Untitled, 1982

Sale Date: February 22, 1993

Auction Closed

VIVE LA FRANCE, 1964

William N. Copley

VIVE LA FRANCE, 1964

Sale Date: November 28, 1992

Auction Closed

QUATUOIR, 1959–1961

William N. Copley

QUATUOIR, 1959–1961

Sale Date: November 17, 1992

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1974

William N. Copley

Ohne Titel, 1974

Sale Date: May 30, 1992

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1964

William N. Copley

Ohne Titel, 1964

Sale Date: May 30, 1992

Auction Closed

PENNIS ANYONE, 1985

William N. Copley

PENNIS ANYONE, 1985

Sale Date: May 9, 1992

Auction Closed

NACHTLICHE SZENE, 1964

William N. Copley

NACHTLICHE SZENE, 1964

Sale Date: November 27, 1991

Auction Closed

CINZANO, 1981

William N. Copley

CINZANO, 1981

Sale Date: October 12, 1991

Auction Closed

LIBERATION SUR L'HERBE, 1956

William N. Copley

LIBERATION SUR L'HERBE, 1956

Sale Date: June 12, 1991

Auction Closed

CINZANO, 1981

William N. Copley

CINZANO, 1981

Sale Date: June 12, 1991

Auction Closed

THE LOVERS, 1972

William N. Copley

THE LOVERS, 1972

Sale Date: May 7, 1991

Auction Closed

HE'S DANCING WITH A GIRL CALLED..., 1967–1967

William N. Copley

HE'S DANCING WITH A GIRL CALLED..., 1967–1967

Sale Date: February 12, 1991

Auction Closed

THRE'RE PLAYING A TUNE IN MUCGUFFY'S..., 1967–1967

William N. Copley

THRE'RE PLAYING A TUNE IN MUCGUFFY'S..., 1967–1967

Sale Date: February 12, 1991

Auction Closed

THE STUDIO, 1964–1964

William N. Copley

THE STUDIO, 1964–1964

Sale Date: November 6, 1990

Auction Closed

HAND WITH WOMEN

William N. Copley

HAND WITH WOMEN

Sale Date: October 10, 1990

Auction Closed

PROFUMO AFFAIR, 1963–1963

William N. Copley

PROFUMO AFFAIR, 1963–1963

Sale Date: October 4, 1990

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1962–1962

William N. Copley

Untitled, 1962–1962

Sale Date: October 4, 1990

Auction Closed

TABLE WITH KNIFE AND MIRROR, 1972–1972

William N. Copley

TABLE WITH KNIFE AND MIRROR, 1972–1972

Sale Date: May 13, 1990

Auction Closed

English (US)

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