Chuck Close

Chuck Close (b. 1940, Monroe, Washington; d. 2021, New York) was an American painter and photographer who lived and worked primarily in New York. Renowned for his large-scale, highly detailed portraits, Close developed a distinctive practice rooted in photorealism, often working from photographs and employing a grid-based technique to construct his images. Following a spinal artery collapse in 1988 that left him partially paralysed, he adapted his method, producing more abstract, cell-like compositions that nonetheless retained a strong likeness to his sitters. His work explores themes of perception, process, and the human face, and spans painting, drawing, and printmaking. Close’s artworks are held in major public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Tate, London, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. He received numerous honours, including the National Medal of Arts. Widely recognised within the global art market, his work has demonstrated consistent demand and liquidity, frequently appearing at major auctions.