William N. Copley: The Coffin They Carry You Off In

William N. Copley (b. 1919, New York; d. 1996, Sugarloaf Key, Florida), a self-taught artist, came to painting following and alongside his famed work as a gallerist and collector of Surrealist art. A crucial connecting figure between Surrealism and Pop art, Copley developed a unique style and iconography that made use of cartoonlike motifs to critically and humorously explore topics such as nationalism, eroticism, and art history. This publication and related exhibition bring together works from Copley’s first New York exhibition “Paintings by William Copley” at the Alexander Iolas Gallery in 1958 alongside other examples of the artist’s early work, highlighting his critical yet humorous perspective on both European and American culture.

Year
2019

Cover
Paperback

Editors
Stephanie Seidel

Authors
Stephanie Seidel, Manuela Ammer,
and a conversation between Kasper König and Stephanie Seidel

Designer
Eric Wrenn Office, New York

Publisher
Institute of Contemporary Art, MiamiISBN

Pages
132

Dimensions
9 x 6 inches

Credits
Cover: Willian N. Copley, The Coffin They Carry You Off In, 1957 (detail).
Oil on canvas, 21 1/4 x 25 3/4 in.
Courtesy Galerie Klaus Gerrit Friese, Berlin.
Photo: Courtesy Galerie Klaus Gerrit Friese, Berlin