Chuck (Charles Thomas) Close (American, 1940-2021)

Best known for large-scale Photorealist portraits of himself, family members, and fellow artists, Close was a multi-talented painter, printmaker, and photographer.  His renowned monumental portraits were derived from photographs and built through an exacting grid-based process. The result was an amazingly fresh sense of realism depicted through modular cells of dots, lozenges, fingerprints, and abstract marks. His work transformed the photograph into a carefully constructed visual system, changing dramatically as a viewer moves from close range to a distance.

Born in Monroe, Washington, Close studied at the University of Washington and Yale before establishing himself in New York as a leading figure in Photorealism. 

After paralysis caused by a spinal-artery occlusion in 1988, Close adapted his methods and continued working with assistants and specialized tools. He remained an influential, though later controversial, figure in contemporary portraiture until his death in New York in 2021.

Chuck Close’ portrait of Emma features his niece, when she was a child in 2002.

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