
283
William N. Copley
Man and Woman
- Estimate
- £500 - 700‡
£254
Lot Details
Screenprint in colours, on Somerset paper, with full margins.
1978
I. 61.6 x 81.2 cm (24 1/4 x 31 7/8 in.)
S. 66.5 x 86.5 cm (26 1/8 x 34 in.)
S. 66.5 x 86.5 cm (26 1/8 x 34 in.)
Signed 'CPLY' and numbered 40/200 in pencil (there were also 30 artist's proofs), published by Robert L. Freeman (with their inkstamp on the reverse), unframed.
Specialist
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.