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About John Coplans and His Monumental Self-Portraits

In conjunction with Unseen 2019, we bring to Amsterdam two major series from A Body of Work by John Coplans (1920-2003, UK/US). Coplans used this title for his oeuvre of self-portraits, which he began making in New York in 1980, at the age of 60. He continued to photograph only his aging body, in whole or in parts, and to register these performative acts in large-format prints. These works of self-detachment and bold humanity gained immediate acclaim and continue to fascinate.

With Coplans, the term self-portrait carries a profound …