157

William N. Copley

Untitled (Think/Flag), from Artists and Writers Protest Against the War in Vietnam

Estimate
$3,000 - 5,000
$5,334
Lot Details
Screenprint, on wove paper, the full sheet.
1967
S. 20 3/4 x 25 3/4 in. (52.7 x 65.4 cm)
Signed with initials, dated and numbered 9/100 in pencil (there were also some artist's proofs), published by Artist's and Writer's Protest, New York, printed in the United States, unframed.

William N. Copley

American | B. 1919 D. 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.

Browse Artist