Alcopley (1910-1992) was a significant abstract painter and a scientist who made major contributions to physiology. While pursuing a career as a research biologist, Alfred Copley was actively involved in the creation of the New York School, which included painters and sculptors associated with Abstract Expressionism, Action Painting, Fluxus, and Color Field painting. A great draftsman and master of the brush, he exhibited in major museums.
Growing up in Dresden, a baroque city where off-beat artists flourished—such as those of the Blaue Reiter, Die Brucke, and the German Expressionists—Alcopley was influenced by the vibrant artistic environment. Oskar Kokoschka and Otto Dix, who taught at the Dresden Academy, were among the influential figures. Although the art-going public was often shocked, the images excited the more adventurous.
While Weimar society had been vibrant and modern, by the 1930s Germany became a land of fear and paranoia. Alcopley, as a witness to the infamous bonfire book burnings of Heidelberg’s library, was appalled by the destruction of knowledge and Hitler’s revisionist views of German culture. After obtaining his first doctorate, he left Germany. In 1972, he was honored with a doctor honoris causa from Heidelberg, a celebration attended with great pride. Alcopley moved to Switzerland in 1935, where he earned his second doctorate at Basel. Before leaving Germany, he began to draw and paint, splitting his time between his scientific work and his passion for painting, a balance he maintained throughout his life.
In 1937, he sailed to New York, finding a country that was young, expansive, and open to all who wanted to achieve their goals. After living in Charlottesville and Kansas City, Alcopley returned to New York, settling in a Greenwich Village apartment. One of his first friends was philosopher Hannah Arendt. He also met Bill de Kooning and began visiting the Cedar Bar and nearby Waldorf Cafeteria with de Kooning, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko. At these establishments, ideas were freely discussed. Alcopley, a man of ideas, approached everything with insight, whether it was the small—what he saw in his microscope—or the large—the endless universe. In science, he made analytical observations, while in painting, he incorporated his passion for life.
Alcopley was a great communicator with boundless energy, known for his outgoing nature. His circle included artists, scientists, philosophers, writers, dancers, and composers. Drawing inspiration from music, dance, and ambient sounds, he interpreted these in the dialect of the brushstroke. His love of music is reflected in his art. He formed lifelong friendships with figures such as philosopher Martin Heidegger, architect Frederick Kiesler, composer Edgar Varèse, choreographer Erick Hawkins, sculptor David Smith, and Zen Master Shin'ichi Hisamatsu. This diverse group often met at Washington Square Park, the Cedar Bar, the Waldorf Cafeteria, or at the loft of Ibram and Ernestine Lassaw, eventually leading to the formation of The Club.Alcopley was one of the seven founding members of this seminal group, which exemplified the creativity of American art. The Club became a central meeting ground for the artists who would later be known as the New York School, providing a space for the exchange of ideas without interference. Alcopley and other Club members were featured in the groundbreaking Ninth Street Show, the first major group exhibition of the New York School.
Alcopley believed that art and science shared the same creative spark. In his scientific work, he was a maverick, especially interested in the flow properties of blood. He sought answers to fundamental physiological questions, contributing to changing the way patients are treated for related illnesses. Alcopley founded two new sciences: Biorheology (the flow properties of biological matter) and Hemorheology (the flow properties of blood).
While the scientist Alfred Copley was reshaping knowledge of physiology, his alter ego Alcopley was exploring similar themes through painting. In addition to his work in science and art, Alcopley founded and served as editor-in-chief of three scientific journals, and was also involved as an editor for several other publications, including Leonardo, an art magazine for artists writing about their own work, and Acupuncture Today, when that therapy was still controversial. When a reporter asked how he found time for all his endeavors, Alcopley replied, "Well, I eat fast and sleep little."
In 1945, Alcopley attended an opening at The New Art Circle, a gallery on 57th Street owned by J.B. Neumann. He was struck by powerful oil paintings by an artist with a foreign name, and expressed a desire to meet the artist, assuming it was a man. J.B. introduced him to a "beautiful blonde," and thus Alcopley met Nina Tryggvadottir, who would become his wife in April 1949. However, their life together faced challenges, such as when Nina was interned for deportation to Iceland after being falsely accused of being a Communist. Although the origin of this accusation remains unknown, it is speculated that it may have been linked to her past relationship with playwright Clifford Odets, who named names before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1949. Alcopley and Nina worked tirelessly to clear her name, allowing her to return to New York, where Alcopley continued his involvement with The Club.
Alcopley’s artwork is closer in style to Barnett Newman or Ad Reinhardt than to Jackson Pollock or Bill de Kooning, characterized by a parsimony that reflects his scientific interests at their most basic level. Although not a minimalist, Alcopley was certainly one of the artists pointing in that direction. His late paintings often reduced to a single or a series of individual brushstrokes that described a moment, movement, emotion, or observation, or a combination of these.
Due to Nina's forced exile, the family reunited in Paris in 1952. They chose not to be bitter expatriates and instead became involved in the European contemporary art scene. In Paris, Alcopley met Jean Arp, Julius Bissier, and Pierre Soulages, and together they started "Le Club," meeting at the Cafe Flore. The family stayed in Paris until 1957, when they moved to London, where Alcopley had a research contract with Charing Cross Hospital. Although offered citizenship in France and England, Alcopley remained loyal to America, his yearly visits reinforcing his desire to return home. In London, he and Nina exhibited their works extensively. Nina Tryggvadottir became and remains one of Iceland's most beloved artists. She died in 1968, while Alcopley outlived her by twenty-four years.
After Nina's death, Alcopley continued to exhibit in galleries and museums worldwide. He traveled extensively, both for his art and as a speaker at scientific conferences, receiving many honors and awards. His creativity resulted in a large body of paintings and drawings. He was nominated twice by his scientific colleagues for the Nobel Prize, and was planning experiments for studies on the behavior of blood in zero gravity to be included in the space shuttle. Alcopley died in January 1992 before this could be realized, having worked until his last week. Alcopley’s spark remains an inspiration; he was a true Renaissance man who could not retire because he simply had too much to accomplish.