THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN WHORE: AN INSTALLATION BY CPLY

It's not at all surprising that CPLY is a four-letter word. And in much the same way that CPLY, the word, is sexually harmless, so is William N. Copley, the artist, attempting to make sex harmless. There's a distinct difference between pornography and eroticism for William Copley: pornography has to do with repression, and eroticism with fantasy. Through painting Copley is attempting to break through the barrier of pornography into the arena of joy. The Tomb of the Unknown Whore, by celebrating flesh and spirit, reminds us that we need not feel guilty about wanting pleasure and that sex can be both joyous and illicit, rather than egotistical and emotionally draining. Copley's style has been described as a "cartoony extension of Surrealism." This too should come as no surprise when one considers the artist's long-term friendships and associations with artists such as Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Max Ernst, and Rene Magritte. There is a distinct kinship between Copley and the Surrealists: they were all victims of the same sort of repressive Victorianism that plagued the early to mid-twentieth century, and that is only now losing its grip. Much of Copley's work forms an imaginative diary of the high jinks of the Victorian gentleman, a metaphor for the artist himself, in tweed suit and bowler hat. He and any number of semi-dressed buxom females cavort in hotel rooms, cafes, and almost any other available locale. Yet, holding this bawdy behavior in check is the frequently present Keystone Cop complete with white baton (a symbol of censorship?). Copley seems to want to do it anywhere and everywhere, in what can only be described as a modern Baccanalian orgy. His wish is that censorship surrounding pornography will be lifted as pornography is replaced by eroticism, repression by fantasy. Copley himself sums it all up in an interview with Sam Hunter in which he states "The whole point of my subject matter is to express joy." William N. Copley was born in New York City in 1919. He attended an all boys grammar and prep school and later attended Yale University when it was still an all male college. He also served in the Second World War. Since he began painting in 1948, Copley has gained an international reputation. His work is represented in major collections and museums in the United States and Europe, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. The Tomb of the Unknown Whore marks his long-awaited return to The New Museum where he was featured in the 1977 exhibition 'Bad' Painting organized by Marcia Tucker.

-Gerard Goodrow Curatorial Intern

The individual views expressed in the exhibitions and publications are not necessarily those of the Museum.

The ON VIEW program is supported in part by grants from the Jerome Foundation, Citibank, N.A., and by funds from the Arthur Sahn Memorial Fund. William N. Copley

Born in New York City in 1919. Attended Phillips Academy, Andover, and Yale University, New Haven. Lives in Roxbury, Conn.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

1985 Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York (also 1983, 1982) 1983 Post-Raphaelite Paintings, Reinhard Onnasch Ausstell ungen, West Berlin 1980 William Copley, Badischer Kunstverein e.v., Karlrube, West Germany (traveled) 1979 CPLY: R eflections on a Past Life, Institute for the Arts, Rice University, Houston CPLY|X-Rated Paintings, Galerie Fassbender, Munich 1977 Variations on a Theme by Francis Picabia, David Stuart Gallery, Los Angeles (traveled) 1974 CPLY|X-Rated, New York Cultural Center, New York 1973 Galleria II Fauna, Turin, Italy 1970 Galerie Aspects, Brussels Galerie Neuendorf, Cologne, West Germany 1966 Copley/Entertainment for Men, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam 1963 Les Suffragettes Erotiques de Bill Copley, Galerie Iris Clert, Paris 196 1 Institute of Contemporary Arts, London

Selected Group Exhibitions

1985 Cinquante Ans de Dessins Americains: 1930-1980, Ecole National Superieur des Beaux Arts, Paris (traveled) 1984 Auto and Culture, Mu seum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (traveled) 1983 The Last Laugh, Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, Portsmouth, Ohio Looking at Women, Artemisia Gallery, Chicago 1982 7, , West Germany The Erotic Impulse, Roger Litz Gallery, New York 1981 lnterna.tionale Ausstellung Westkunst 1939-1981 , Cologne, West Germany 1978 American Nude, Harold Reed Ga llery, New York 1977 'Bad' Painting, T he New Museum, New York The Dada/Surrealist Heritage, Sterlin g and Francis Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass. 1975 Three Generations of the American Nude, New York Cultural Center, New York 1972 Documenta 5, Kassel, West Germany 1971 Box Top Art, Indiana State University , Bloomin gton Erotique Art, The Art Center for the New School for Social Research, New York 1966 Surrealist Exhibition, University of California, Santa Barbara Exposition International d'Art Actuel, Nagaoka Contemporary Art Museum, Japan 1965 Whence Pop, Heckscher Museum, Huntington, New York 1964 New Realism, Gemeentemuseum, Den Hagg, Holland 1963 18eme Salon de Realites Nouvelles, Musee Municipal d'Art Moderne, Paris