William N. Copley, 77, Painter And Collector of Surrealist Art
By ROBERTA SMITH
Published: May 09, 1996 - New York Times
William N. Copley, an American Surrealist painter of sweetly risque images of naked women and men in starchy Edwardian suits, died on Tuesday at his home in Sugar Loaf Key, Fla. He was 77 and had lived in Florida since 1991.
He died of complications of a stroke suffered three weeks ago, said his son, Billy.
Mr. Copley led a charmed life that included not only painting but also art dealing and collecting and philanthropy. Born in New York City in 1919, he was orphaned as an infant and adopted by Ira C. Copley, a newspaper tycoon who owned 16 newspapers in Chicago and San Diego. He attended Yale University and worked briefly as a reporter for The San Diego Tribune.
But a friend introduced Mr. Copley to Surrealist painting, and he became friendly with the colony of expatriate Surrealists then in Los Angeles, including Man Ray and Max Ernst. In 1947 he opened a gallery there to show their work, but closed it when nothing sold, his failure as a salesman of Surrealist art marking the start of his careers as a collector and artist. Over the years he amassed one of the world's most respected collections of Surrealist art, which included Man Ray's unforgettable image of large red lips floating above the landscape. The collection was sold at auction in 1979 for $6.7 million, at the time the highest total for the auction of a single owner's collection in the United States.
visit the William N Copley website:
http://billcopleycply.com
By ROBERTA SMITH
Published: May 09, 1996 - New York Times
William N. Copley, an American Surrealist painter of sweetly risque images of naked women and men in starchy Edwardian suits, died on Tuesday at his home in Sugar Loaf Key, Fla. He was 77 and had lived in Florida since 1991.
He died of complications of a stroke suffered three weeks ago, said his son, Billy.
Mr. Copley led a charmed life that included not only painting but also art dealing and collecting and philanthropy. Born in New York City in 1919, he was orphaned as an infant and adopted by Ira C. Copley, a newspaper tycoon who owned 16 newspapers in Chicago and San Diego. He attended Yale University and worked briefly as a reporter for The San Diego Tribune.
But a friend introduced Mr. Copley to Surrealist painting, and he became friendly with the colony of expatriate Surrealists then in Los Angeles, including Man Ray and Max Ernst. In 1947 he opened a gallery there to show their work, but closed it when nothing sold, his failure as a salesman of Surrealist art marking the start of his careers as a collector and artist. Over the years he amassed one of the world's most respected collections of Surrealist art, which included Man Ray's unforgettable image of large red lips floating above the landscape. The collection was sold at auction in 1979 for $6.7 million, at the time the highest total for the auction of a single owner's collection in the United States.
visit the William N Copley website:
http://billcopleycply.com
William N. Copley, 77, Painter And Collector of Surrealist Art
By ROBERTA SMITH
Published: May 09, 1996 - New York Times
William N. Copley, an American Surrealist painter of sweetly risque images of naked women and men in starchy Edwardian suits, died on Tuesday at his home in Sugar Loaf Key, Fla. He was 77 and had lived in Florida since 1991.
He died of complications of a stroke suffered three weeks ago, said his son, Billy.
Mr. Copley led a charmed life that included not only painting but also art dealing and collecting and philanthropy. Born in New York City in 1919, he was orphaned as an infant and adopted by Ira C. Copley, a newspaper tycoon who owned 16 newspapers in Chicago and San Diego. He attended Yale University and worked briefly as a reporter for The San Diego Tribune.
But a friend introduced Mr. Copley to Surrealist painting, and he became friendly with the colony of expatriate Surrealists then in Los Angeles, including Man Ray and Max Ernst. In 1947 he opened a gallery there to show their work, but closed it when nothing sold, his failure as a salesman of Surrealist art marking the start of his careers as a collector and artist. Over the years he amassed one of the world's most respected collections of Surrealist art, which included Man Ray's unforgettable image of large red lips floating above the landscape. The collection was sold at auction in 1979 for $6.7 million, at the time the highest total for the auction of a single owner's collection in the United States.
visit the William N Copley website:
http://billcopleycply.com
By ROBERTA SMITH
Published: May 09, 1996 - New York Times
William N. Copley, an American Surrealist painter of sweetly risque images of naked women and men in starchy Edwardian suits, died on Tuesday at his home in Sugar Loaf Key, Fla. He was 77 and had lived in Florida since 1991.
He died of complications of a stroke suffered three weeks ago, said his son, Billy.
Mr. Copley led a charmed life that included not only painting but also art dealing and collecting and philanthropy. Born in New York City in 1919, he was orphaned as an infant and adopted by Ira C. Copley, a newspaper tycoon who owned 16 newspapers in Chicago and San Diego. He attended Yale University and worked briefly as a reporter for The San Diego Tribune.
But a friend introduced Mr. Copley to Surrealist painting, and he became friendly with the colony of expatriate Surrealists then in Los Angeles, including Man Ray and Max Ernst. In 1947 he opened a gallery there to show their work, but closed it when nothing sold, his failure as a salesman of Surrealist art marking the start of his careers as a collector and artist. Over the years he amassed one of the world's most respected collections of Surrealist art, which included Man Ray's unforgettable image of large red lips floating above the landscape. The collection was sold at auction in 1979 for $6.7 million, at the time the highest total for the auction of a single owner's collection in the United States.
visit the William N Copley website:
http://billcopleycply.com
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