The Estate of William N. Copley | In Collaboration with Kasmin Gallery - Artists

Art Insider Mar. 3: Surrealist Wallpaper, Connecting Past and Present, Exploring Childhood Psyche March 2020

Behind a red curtain at Nino Mier Gallery, a wallpaper of squiggled brush strokes on a mottled yellow background sets a particular scene. Within this, eight mirror-cum-drawings are hanging about, each one a delicate line drawing, depicting a female nude at a piano, or a man dancing with a bowler hat. Yet the faint figurative outlines meld with reflections of both the wallpaper and the viewer’s own reflection, making the drawings difficult to see clearly.

Artland

Drawings 1964–1991 February 2020

American artist William N. Copley (1919-1996), also known by his adopted moniker CPLY (pronounced ‘see-ply’), is widely celebrated for his eccentric and erotic imagery that combines a distinct sensibility of Pop and Surrealism. In 1948, when the artist was twenty-nine, Copley opened the Copley Galleries in Beverly Hills.