December’s artwork of the month talk will be delivered by Professor Michael White of the History of Art Department, University of York. His subject will be John Coplans’ Frieze No.6.

In the age of Instagram and the ubiquitous ‘selfie,’ it would seem we have little more to learn about photographic self portraits. However, some of the issues of interest to the artist John Coplans (1920-2003), about having the kind of body rarely seen in broadcast or print media, about finding creativity late in life and about recognising dignity in the ageing process are incredibly pertinent today and still rare in the practices of other artists. This talk will explore how, after a hugely diverse career, Coplans came to make his aging body the subject of his art and why he adopted the striking format for it we see in this example.