



51
William N. Copley
Le Grand Bouffe
- Estimate
- £60,000 - 80,000‡
£76,200
Lot Details
acrylic on linen
signed and dated 'cply 73' lower right; titled 'Le Grande Boufe' on the stretcher
114.3 x 147.3 cm (45 x 57 7/8 in.)
Painted in 1973.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Provenance
Exhibited
William N. Copley
American | B. 1919 D. 1996William 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.