Chuck Close 1940, Monroe, WA, USA-2021, Oceanside, NY, USA
Further images
"The face is a picture of human struggle and human joy. It’s all of life right there." — Chuck Close
Chuck Close often described the feeling of "getting lost" in his creative process, comparing the canvas surface to a geographical map—both a guide and a riddle for the viewer. His signature grid system allowed each fragment to stand as an independent image, with every vibrant square functioning as a fully realized painting in itself.
In ZHANG HUAN I, a portrait of the contemporary artist Zhang Huan, this interplay between abstraction and realism creates a striking tension. The image hovers between sharp photographic clarity and the brink of dissolving into pure abstraction, constantly shifting in perception.
Exhibitions
Chuck Close. Blum and Poe, Los Angeles, Oct 29–Dec 22, 2011
50 Years at Pace. The Pace Gallery, New York, Sep 17–Oct 16, 2010
Chuck Close: Selected Paintings and Tapestries 2005–2009. Pace, New York, May 1–Jun 20, 2009
Publications
Bui, Phong. “In Conversation: Chuck Close with Phong Bui.” Brooklyn Rail, June 2008 p. 32.
Mason, Brook S. “How Grandma’s Crochet Inspired My Artistic Vision.” Art Newspaper no. 201 (April 2009) p. 44.
Wei, Lilly. “Face Time.” In Chuck Close: Selected Paintings and Tapestries 2005-2009. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Pace Wildenstein, 2009. pp. 1, 9, 26, 27.
Falconer, Morgan. “An American Trilogy, Part III: Realism, Chuck Close.” With sidebar text by Madeleine Grynsztejn. Art World, no. 11 (June/July 2009) pp. 44.
Glimcher, Arne. 50 Years at Pace. Exhibition catalogue. New York: The Pace Gallery, 2010. pp. 275, no. 157.
Finch, Christopher. Chuck Close: Work. Munich; Berlin; London; New York: Prestel Verlag, 2007; 2010; 2014. pp. 318, 322.
“Memorias Cuadriculadas (Squared Memories).” In 100 Miradas al Arte Contemporáneo (100 Views on Contemporary Art). Santiago: Arte al Límite, 2014. p. 16.
Tony, Godfrey. “Chuck Close.” RES: Art World/World Art, no. 11 (2014) p.17.
Chuck Close: Paintings, 1967 to the Present. Digital Catalogue Raisonné. Artifex Press, 2016.
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