CV
Education and Early Life
1920: Born in London, England.
1937: Returned to England from South Africa.
1938: Commissioned into the Royal Air Force as Acting Pilot Officer.
1940-1945: Served as platoon commander in the King's African Rifles in East Africa and later in Burma.
Early Career
1946: Demobilized and settled in London; received a grant to study art.
1950: Participated in exhibitions, including the Royal Society of British Artists and New Vision Center.
1960: Moved to the United States; settled in San Francisco as visiting assistant design professor at UC Berkeley.
Founding and Editorial Role at Artforum
1962: Co-founded Artforum; regular contributor.
1971-1976: Editor-in-Chief of Artforum; promoted critical art discourse and attention to West Coast artists.
1976: Dismissed as editor after a conflict with the publisher.
Curator and Museum Director
1965-1967: Director of the Art Gallery at the University of California, Irvine.
1967-1970: Senior curator at the Pasadena Art Museum; organized exhibitions for emerging artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.
1970: Acting director of the Pasadena Art Museum; curated the "Serial Imagery" exhibition.
1978-1979: Director of the Akron Art Museum, Ohio; focused on photography and 19th-century art.
Artistic Practice
1980: Began serious photographic career; experimented with nude photography and self-portraits.
1981: First major solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago.
1988: Exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Major Exhibitions
1981, 1989: Art Institute of Chicago.
1988: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
1988: Museum of Modern Art, New York.
1990: Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam.
1994: Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
1997: P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York.
1999: Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh.
Recognitions and Influence
Coplans' work is included in over seventy museum collections worldwide, highlighting his significant impact on both art and criticism. His self-portraits and critical approach to aging and identity remain relevant in contemporary art discourse.