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拍品專文
William Copley was a cultural and artistic maverick. Adopted as a child by utility and newspaper moguls Ira and Edith Copley, he was expected to follow his family’s path by attending Yale University and eventually taking over his father’s company, Copley Press Inc. However, the artist, whose left-wing political stances put him at odds with his family, decided to pursue his own path. After leaving Yale and serving in the army, Copley moved to California, pursuing painting and writing articles for Copley Press.
Copley was greatly encouraged by his brother-in-law, Walt Disney animator John Ployardt. Ployardt introduced Copley to Surrealism, an artistic style that influenced him throughout his career. Together they established Copley Galleries in Los Angeles, the first Surrealist gallery in the region. Although it was financially unsuccessful, the gallery exhibited works by prominent artists such as Man Ray, René Magritte and Max Ernst. Copley purchased many of these pieces for himself, earning him the title “the artist’s artist.”
Copley dedicated himself to painting after the closure of his gallery, travelling to Paris in 1951. It was there that he married his second wife, Noma Ratner. The two shared a deep interest in Surrealism and co-founded the William and Noma Copley Foundation (later named the Cassandra Foundation) in 1954. Funded by Copley’s family inheritance, the Cassandra Foundation provided artists and musicians with grants to encourage their careers.
When William and Noma Copley met Rosalind and Melvin Jacobs, their relationship would change the trajectory of both couples’ lives. The Copleys introduced them to a fabulous artistic world between Paris and New York, and to artists like Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp, who became the Jacobses’ lifelong friends. The Copleys were responsible for introductions that led to their discovery of Surrealism and to many of the acquisitions in the Jacobs art collection. The Copleys and Jacobses would go on to travel together, immersing themselves in the worlds of art and fashion–the two chief interests for both couples.
Copley’s own artistic career evolved when he moved to Manhattan in the 1960s and entered the Pop Art scene. His work combined elements of Surrealism and Pop, depicting cartoon-like figures in comedic and sexual scenarios. Declaring that “the cornerstone of humor is sex,” Copley created ironically illicit paintings that mocked American culture and politics (quoted in Biography, William N. Copley Estate, https://williamncopley.com/about/biography-page/). After an extensive creative career, Copley passed away in 1996. Copley’s legacy persists through his provocative artworks and his fervent support of the artistic community.
Copley was greatly encouraged by his brother-in-law, Walt Disney animator John Ployardt. Ployardt introduced Copley to Surrealism, an artistic style that influenced him throughout his career. Together they established Copley Galleries in Los Angeles, the first Surrealist gallery in the region. Although it was financially unsuccessful, the gallery exhibited works by prominent artists such as Man Ray, René Magritte and Max Ernst. Copley purchased many of these pieces for himself, earning him the title “the artist’s artist.”
Copley dedicated himself to painting after the closure of his gallery, travelling to Paris in 1951. It was there that he married his second wife, Noma Ratner. The two shared a deep interest in Surrealism and co-founded the William and Noma Copley Foundation (later named the Cassandra Foundation) in 1954. Funded by Copley’s family inheritance, the Cassandra Foundation provided artists and musicians with grants to encourage their careers.
When William and Noma Copley met Rosalind and Melvin Jacobs, their relationship would change the trajectory of both couples’ lives. The Copleys introduced them to a fabulous artistic world between Paris and New York, and to artists like Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp, who became the Jacobses’ lifelong friends. The Copleys were responsible for introductions that led to their discovery of Surrealism and to many of the acquisitions in the Jacobs art collection. The Copleys and Jacobses would go on to travel together, immersing themselves in the worlds of art and fashion–the two chief interests for both couples.
Copley’s own artistic career evolved when he moved to Manhattan in the 1960s and entered the Pop Art scene. His work combined elements of Surrealism and Pop, depicting cartoon-like figures in comedic and sexual scenarios. Declaring that “the cornerstone of humor is sex,” Copley created ironically illicit paintings that mocked American culture and politics (quoted in Biography, William N. Copley Estate, https://williamncopley.com/about/biography-page/). After an extensive creative career, Copley passed away in 1996. Copley’s legacy persists through his provocative artworks and his fervent support of the artistic community.