John Coplans

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John Rivers Coplans (London, 24 June 1920 – New York City, 21 August 2003) was a British artist, art writer, curator, and museum curator.

In 1960, he immigrated to Europe and North America as a veteran of World War II and a photographer.

He served on the founding editorial staff of Artforum from 1962 to 1971, and he served as Editor-in-Chief from 1972 to 1977.

Early life and WWII service

In 1920, John Coplans was born in London. Joseph Moses Coplans, a medical scientist and a man of many scientific and artistic talents, was his father. When John was an infant, his father left England for Johannesburg. John was taken to his father in South Africa at the age of two; from 1924 to 1928, the family was in flux between London and South Africa, settled in a seaside Cape Town suburb until 1930. Despite the turmoil of his early family life, Coplans' father took him to museums on weekends and instillled in him a passion for research, experimentation, and a fascination with the world.

In 1937, John Coplans returned from South Africa to England. He was accepted as an Acting Pilot Officer when he was eighteen. Two years later, due to his hearing being affected by a rugby match, he volunteered for the army. His childhood experience in Africa culminated in his appointment to the King's African Rifles in East Africa. He was in Ethiopia as a platoon commander before 1943, after which his troops were sent to Burma. Coplans returned to civilian life in 1945 and made the move to be an artist.

Personal life

Dr. Barbara Ann Rivers Coplans, John Coplans' daughter, was born in East Africa with his first wife Betty Coplans (née Little) and a son, Joseph John Coplans, born in California, USA with his third wife, Carolyn Coplans. Amanda Means, the Trustee of the John Coplans Trust in Beacon, New York, was his fourth wife.

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Early career

Coplans, who had been demobilized, settled in London, sleeping in the Abbey Art Centre; he wanted to be an artist. Veteran of the war were given grants by the British government, and one such grant was given to study art. He tried both Goldsmiths and Chelsea College of the Arts, but found that art school did not suit him. While running his company, John Rivers Limited, which specialized in interior decorating, provided part-time for clients, including Cecil Beaton and Basil Deardon.

Coplans began attending lectures at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in the mid-1950s. Here he was introduced to the burgeoning Pop Art movement, in which he would be heavily involved as both critic and curator. His experience with exhibitions such as the Hard-Edged Painting Exhibition (ICA, 1959) and New American Painting (The Tate, 1959) helped to solidify his growing passion for not only Pop Art, but also American art.

He struggled as a young artist to find his artistic voice and created an abstract painting style that represented trends of tachism and Abstract Expressionism pioneered by Americans Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. The original painting work was later referred to as "derivative" by Coplans; these paintings were on view in the Royal Society of British Artists (1950) and later at the New Vision Center.

Coplans sold all of his possessions and moved to the United States, eventually settling in San Francisco and teaching at UC Berkeley as a visiting assistant design professor. Phil Leider, the upcoming editor of ArtForum, was here visiting gallerist Phil Leider. Leider, Coplans met John Irwin, who wanted to start a newspaper. The West Coast needed an art journal, according to Coplans, who gave voice to art that was important but not yet received critical attention. He also suggested that it be published in square form so that both vertical and horizontal photos could be viewed equally, contributing to ArtForum's iconic look and the museum's lucrative foundation. Coplans was a regular writer for the magazine. His essay was anti-elitist, utilizing popular buzz and excitement over new work to "stimulate discussion and understanding" particularly for West Coast artists.

He chose the latter over his writing and painting careers, as well as curatorial pursuits and a career as a museum curator. He didn't return to his art until 1981, at the age of 62.

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Awards and honors

• Guggenheim Fellowship
• National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1981)
• Distinguished Visiting Professor, American University of Cairo (1983)
• Guggenheim Fellowship (1985)
• National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1986)
• Richard Koopman Distinguished Chair, University of Hartford (1991)
• Officer de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2001)