Three black-and-white photos, each tightly framing an aged nude man from lower chest to knees in a different pose. Centered is a rear view with one leg raised backward and held at the ankle. The outer images face inward: a profile with a fist at the hip and a three-quarter view with the leg in a figure-4.
On now

Exhibition John Coplans

December 19, 2025 – June 14, 2026

This installation focuses on the self-portraits of British photographer John Coplans (1920–2003). Coplans’s approach to portraiture is unconventional in many ways. Often made up of multiple images, his portraits never show his face; instead, they focus on his aging body, depicted up close and printed at a large scale. The photographs are honest and unafraid, celebrating wrinkles and loose skin as a challenge to the usual ideals of youth and beauty.

John Coplans is on view on the Gallery’s fourth floor.

Three black-and-white photos, each tightly framing an aged nude man from lower chest to knees in a different pose. Centered is a rear view with one leg raised backward and held at the ankle. The outer images face inward: a profile with a fist at the hip and a three-quarter view with the leg in a figure-4.

John Coplans, Frieze, No. 4, Three Panels, 1994. Nine gelatin silver prints on board. Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of Robinson A. Grover, B.A. 1958, M.S.L. 1975, and Nancy D. Grover. © The John Coplans Trust

Objects in the Exhibition

View more works in the exhibition

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Organized by Judy Ditner, the Richard Benson Curator of Photography and Digital Media.