John Coplans (British, 1920-2003) Self Portrait (Knee and Hands, No.1) (diptych), 1993 Gelatin silver prints 23-3/4 x 30-3/4 inches (60.3 x 78.1 cm) (images/sheets, each) 48 x 31 inches (sheet, overall) Credited, titled, dated, and editioned 1/6 in ink on label affixed to mount verso. PROVENANCE: The artist; Private collection, acquired from the above. "I photograph my body. I generalize it by beheading myself to make my body more like any other man's. Nakedness removes the body from the specificity of time: unclothed, it belongs to the past, present, and future. It is classless, without country, unencumbered by language, and free to wander across cultures at will..." (John Coplans) This image is one of 7 lots by the photographer in this sale. John Coplans was a British artist, curator, museum director, and critic is perhaps best known as a founding member and one-time editor-in-chief of Artforum magazine. His series of photographs record, with unflinching candor, specific parts of his own naked 70-year old body, but never his face. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved