William N. Copley - 20th Century & Contemporary Art: Online Auction New York Monday, July 17, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Jerry and Sally Solomon, Solomon Fine Arts, New York
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Artist Biography

    William N. Copley

    American • 1919 - 1996

    William N. Copley, also known by the name of CPLY, drew attention to himself in the late 1940s by fusing elements of Surrealism and Pop Art.  Copley focused on symbols of American pop culture—staples of American society including pin-up girls, cowboys and the flag—and transformed them into more accessible, universal icons that could appeal to both men and women without bias.

    In the '70s, Copley distinguished himself from the rest of the Surrealists by attempting to represent the tumultuous relationship between erotic and pornographic symbolism. He celebrated the female body, sexual freedom and, most of all, the promiscuity of America.

    View More Works

18

Untitled

signed and dated "CPLY 72" lower left
gouache and ink on paper
8 1/8 x 9 5/8 in. (20.6 x 24.4 cm)
Executed in 1972.

Estimate
$10,000 - 15,000 

Sold for $15,240

Contact Specialist

Katerina Blackwood 

Associate Specialist, Head of Online Sales, New York

+1 212 940 1248

KBlackwood@phillips.com

20th Century & Contemporary Art: Online Auction

17 - 26 July 2023