Fine Prints & Photographs Online
Description:
John Coplans (English, 1920-2003)
SP 30 99, Self Portrait: Fingers, Two Pair, 1999. Signed "John Coplans," titled, and editioned 2/6 in pencil on verso of mount. Gelatin silver print, sight size 18 5/8 x 34 1/4 in. (17.3 x 87.0 cm),matted, framed.
Condition: Minor emulsion losses to edges below mat.
Exhibitions: John Coplans—Self Portraits, Dec. 10, 1999 to Jan. 22, 2020, Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York.
N.B. John Coplans initially trained as a painter and through the course of his career was a teacher, curator, museum director, editor, and founding member of the influential magazine Artforum. He began making photographs in his 60s and since 1984 focused exclusively on a form of self-portraiture that presents his aging and naked self as a representation of the universal male body. Through his work, Coplans subverts the societal notion that celebrates beauty and youth to highlight the body in its later years, shifting the lens to an exploration on aging. In this large-scale photograph from 1999 Coplans isolates a detailed view of his fingers, creating an abstraction that becomes theatrical.
Estimate $2,000-3,000
Frame size 31 1/2 x 46 1/2 in. (80 x 118.2 cm).
Items may have wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
Keywords
Andrea RosenRobin S.R. Starr
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American & European Works of Art
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