In 1947 he opened Copley Galleries with John Ployardt in Beverly Hills, California and exhibited surrealist artists Magritte, Matta, Joseph Cornell, Man Ray, Tanguy and Max Ernst. The gallery did not attract collectors and closed marking the start of his careers as a collector and artist.

CPLY spent most of the 50's and early 60's living and working in Paris, returning to New York City in 1963. He moved to Key West, Florida in 1992 where he lived until his death in May of 1996.