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Copley (William and Noma) foundation and collection records
880403
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections
Title: William and Noma Copley foundation and collection records
Creator:
Chryssa, 1933-2013
Creator:
De Maria, Walter, 1935-2013
Creator:
Delvaux, Paul
Creator:
Glanville-Hicks, Peggy
Creator:
Flavin, Dan, 1933-1996
Creator:
Kelkel, Manfred
Creator:
Jones, Charles, 1910-1997
Creator:
Mason, Raymond, 1922-2010
Creator:
Lam, Wifredo
Creator:
Baj, Enrico, 1924-2003
Creator:
Matta, 1912-2002
Creator:
Bellmer, Hans, 1902-1975
Creator:
Metcalf, James, 1925-
Creator:
Milhaud, Darius, 1892-1974
Creator:
Arp, Jean, 1887-1966
Creator:
Petlin, Irving, 1934-2018
Creator:
Pfriem, Bernard
Creator:
Sage, Kay
Creator:
Tajiri, Shinkichi, 1923-2009
Creator:
Tanning, Dorothea, 1910-2012
Creator:
Turner, Charles, 1921-2003
Creator:
Hamilton, Richard, 1922-2011
Creator:
Waldberg, Patrick
Creator:
Hérold, Jacques, 1910-1987
Creator:
Westermann, H. C. (Horace Clifford), 1922-1981
Creator:
William and Noma Copley Foundation
Creator:
Copley, William Nelson, 1919-1996
Creator:
Celmins, Vija, 1938-
Creator:
Cage, John
Creator:
Man Ray, 1890-1976
Identifier/Call Number: 880403
Physical Description:
4.5 Linear Feet
(10 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1954-1980
Abstract: Records document the William and Noma Copley Foundation's grant program for composers and artists, 1954-1966. Richard Hamilton's
correspondence, 1960-1966, largely concerns the Foundation's monograph series, which he edited. Other papers, including correspondence
with artists, files regarding exhibitions and insurance, and photographs, document the Copleys' personal art collection, known
for its large number of Surrealist works. Files dated after 1966 primarily contain Noma Copley's correspondence with artists.
Physical Location: Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the
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Language of Material:
English
.
William Nelson Copley (1919-1996) was a Surrealist painter, art collector, and philanthropist. He was born in New York and
attended Yale University before being drafted into the army and serving in Europe during World War II. After the war, Copley
began painting and partnered with John Ployardt, his brother-in-law from his first marriage with Doris Wead, to run the short-lived
Copley Galleries in Beverly Hills, California, specializing in Surrealist art. When the business failed, Copley was obligated
to buy most of the art, which formed the basis of his private collection. He then moved to Paris around 1949, where he met
his second wife, Noma (born Norma) Ratner.
Noma Ratner Copley (1916-2006) was a fine art jewelry designer and art collector. She was born in Minnesota and worked as
a translator with the United States Office of War Information during World War II. Afterwards, she worked in the film industry
in Los Angeles before moving to Paris. She was introduced to William Copley by their mutual friend Man Ray in 1951. They married
in 1953 and resided in France until 1962, when they moved to New York.
In 1954, they began the William and Noma Copley Foundation (renamed the Cassandra Foundation in 1966), which was incorporated
in Chicago as a nonprofit organization. Its mission was to aid and encourage emerging artists in the fields of painting, sculpture
and music composition. Grants were awarded by a board of directors based on nominations made by advisers, including Jean Arp,
Alfred Barr, Jr., Matta Echaurren, Max Ernst, Julien Levy, William Lieberman, Man Ray, Roland Penrose and Sir Herbert Read.
The officers and directors were William Copley, Noma Copley, Marcel Duchamp, Barnet Hodes, Eleanor Hodes and Darius Milhaud.
Music and art award responsibilities were divided between husband and wife. Noma Copley was chiefly responsible for music
grants and collaborated with Milhaud, while William Copley generally made the final decisions on the visual art grants.
The Foundation also published a series of monographs from 1960 to 1966 to highlight their grantees. The British Pop artist
Richard Hamilton was chosen as editor, not only for his well-known talents in layout and design, but also for the respect
given him by the international art community as one of Duchamp's protégés. A total of 10 monographs were published on Hans
Bellmer, Richard Lindner, Bernard Pfriem, René Magritte, Thomas Albert Sills, Eduardo Paolozzi, James Metcalf, Serge Charchoune,
Jacques Hérold and Dieter Roth.
In addition to their philanthropy, the Copleys assembled an important private collection of Surrealist art, including works
by Hans Bellmer, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, René Magritte and Man Ray. The collection included Magritte's
La trahison des images (Ceci n'est pas une pipe) and
Chambre d'Ecoute, Ernst's
Le Surréalisme et la Peinture, Man Ray's
A l'Heure de l'Observatoire: les Amoureux and Richard Hamilton's
$he. From 1964 to 1966, Marcia Tucker worked as collection curator, overseeing exhibition loans and the care and maintenance
of the collection.
After William Copley decided to distance himself from philanthropy and focus his activities back on his own art, Barnet Hodes
assumed his responsibilities at the Foundation in 1966. William and Noma Copley divorced in 1967, and William Copley continued
his career as a Surrealist artist. He sold much of the art collection at auctions in 1979 and 1993 and died in Florida in
1996. Noma Copley pursued a career in goldsmithing and fine art jewelry after their divorce. She died in New York in 2006.
Sources consulted:
"Biography." William N. Copley. William N. Copley Estate. Accessed 6 April 2020. http://williamncopley.com/about/biography-page/.
"Foundation." William N. Copley. William N. Copley Estate. Accessed 6 April 2020. http://williamncopley.com/programs/william-and-noma-copley-foundation/.
"Noma Copley." Wikipedia. Accessed 6 April 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noma_Copley#cite_ref-18.
Scope and Content of Collection
The William and Noma Copley Foundation and Collection Records document the couple's philanthropic and collecting activities,
which along with their personal relationships with Surrealist artists would profoundly affect the exhibition and evaluation
of the Surrealist movement in the United States. The archive dates from 1954-1980, the bulk dating from 1954-1966, when the
Copleys directed the Foundation. Correspondence after 1966 is primarily from Noma Copley's personal files.
The collection contains correspondence with the Foundation's advisors, and with composers and artists who were awarded grants,
in effect demonstrating the Foundation's award process. Letters also were exchanged with artist friends about personal matters
and the Copley art collection. Additionally, there is personal and business correspondence with Richard Hamilton from the
time when he was editor of the Copley Foundation's monograph series. One series contains personal correspondence, with many
drawings and handmade cards, collected by Noma Copley. There is much material, including correspondence and photographs of
art works, relating specifically to the Copley collection, covering topics such as exhibition loans, appraisals, conservation
of the collection, financial and insurance documents.
The archive is arranged in 5 series: Series I. Foundation documents, 1954-1967; Series II. Richard Hamilton correspondence,
1960-1966; Series III. Personal correspondence, 1957-1980; Series IV: Collection documents, 1954-1967; Series V. Collection
photographs, n.d.
Vivaldi, Cesare.
Pietro Cascella. Milan: Edizioni del milione, ca. 1962.
Monika Wiessmeyer unpacked the archive in 1988. Lynda Bunting processed and cataloged the collection June-July, 1995. The
Richard Hamilton correspondence (former accn. no. 920052) was moved to the William and Noma Copley Foundation and Collection
Records at this time. Bunting revised the finding aid in August 1997 to add a Hans Bellmer document (960054) and in January
1998, to add ca. 40 letters and postcards from other two separate acquisitions (960074, 980002). The biographical note was
updated in 2020 by Rachel Poutasse.
The Research Library acquired the bulk of the archive in 1988. Additional material was acquired in 1995, 1996, and 1998.
William and Norma Copley foundation and collection records, 1954-1980, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Accession
no. 880403
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa880403
Contact
Library Rights and Reproductions .
Open for use by qualified researchers.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photographic prints
Photographs, Original
New Year cards
Christmas cards
Collages
Publishers and publishing
Surrealism
Art -- Collectors and collecting
Art, Modern -- 20th century
Art -- Scholarships, fellowships, etc.
Art -- Private collections
Drawings (visual works)
Charchoune, Serge, 1888-1975
Copley, William Nelson, 1919-1996
Copley, Noma, 1916-2006
Ernst, Max, 1891-1976
Hérold, Jacques, 1910-1987
Hamilton, Richard, 1922-2011
Roth, Dieter, 1930-1998
Tanguy, Yves, 1900-1955
Man Ray, 1890-1976
Tanning, Dorothea, 1910-2012
William and Noma Copley Foundation
Bellmer, Hans, 1902-1975
Baj, Enrico, 1924-2003
Arp, Jean, 1887-1966