25 / 172
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CHARLES COPELAND.
“The Big Wet Kill.” Acrylic on board. 415x660 mm; 16
1
/
4
x26 inches. Board bowed, edges
scuffed and bumped, cellotape in margins. Notes on verso indicating publication date of
September 1958 for Swank Magazine. Not signed.
[800/1,200]
28
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CHARLES COPELAND.
“The Shocking Scandal of Hollywood’s Sexiest Three.” Acrylic on board. 380x435 mm;
15x17 inches. Cellotape and discoloration in margins. Signed “C. Copeland” lower right.
Published in the May 1962 issue of For Men Only magazine.
[600/900]
This salacious scene depicts a vignette from the unsolved murder mystery of Hollywood actor and
directorWilliam Desmond Taylor, who was found shot in the back at close range. Some have theorized
his cause of murder was a hit linked to his attempts to expose drug suppliers who facilitated his lover
and actress Mabel Normand’s spiraling habit.This fictionalized version sees Taylor and his chauffeur
raiding an opium den in search of Normand.
29
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CHARLES COPELAND.
“Strange Bedfellows.” Acrylic on board. 370x420 mm; 14
1
/
2
x16
1
/
2
inches. Usual pencil
notations in margins indicating title, size, and publication information. Published in January
1964 issue of Men magazine. Not signed.
[600/900]
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