John Coplans

John Rivers Coplans (London, 24 June 1920 – New York City, 21 August 2003) was a British artist, art writer, curator, and museum director. A veteran of World War II and a photographer, he emigrated to the United States in 1960 and had many exhibitions in Europe and North America. He was on the founding editorial staff of Artforum from 1962 to 1971, and was Editor-in-Chief from 1972 to 1977.

John Coplans was born in London in 1920. His father, was Joseph Moses Coplans a medical doctor and a Renaissance man of many scientific and artistic talents. His father left England for Johannesburg while John was an infant. At the age of two, John was brought to his father in South Africa; from 1924-1927 the family was in flux between London and South Africa, settling in a seaside Cape Town suburb until 1930. Despite the instability of his early home life, Coplans developed an enormous admiration for his father, who took him to galleries on the weekends and instilled within him a love for exploration, experimentation, and a fascination with the world.

In 1937, John Coplans boarded a Union Castle ship and returned to England from South Africa. The eighteen-year-old Coplans was commissioned into the Royal Air Force as an Acting Pilot Officer. Due to his hearing being affected by a rugby match, two years later, he volunteered for the army. His childhood experience living in Africa led to his appointment to the King’s African Rifles in East Africa. He was active as a platoon commander (primarily in Ethiopia) until 1943, after which his unit was deployed to Burma. In 1945, after eight years serving in the army, Coplans returned to civilian life and decided to become an artist.

After WWII, Coplans settled in London, rooming at the Abbey Art Center; he wanted to become an artist. The British government was giving grants to recent veterans of the war as the city rebuilt itself, and he received one such grant to study art. He tried both Goldsmiths and Chelsea College of the Arts, but found that art school did not suit him. He painted part-time whilst running his business John Rivers Limited . It specialised in interior decorating and he worked for Cecil Beaton, Basil Deardon and other luminaries of the time.

In the mid-1950s, Coplans began attending lectures by Lawrence Alloway at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Here he was introduced to the budding Pop Art movement, which he would become deeply involved in as both critic and curator. His experience viewing 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 just Pop Art, but American art as well.

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