Bidspirit auction | Chuck Close ”John” 126-Color Screenprint

Chuck Close ”John” 126-Color Screenprint 1998 - Chuck Close (American, 1940-2021). 126-color screen print on paper titled ”John, ” 1998. Depicting the face of a man executed in a composition of mosaic tesserae depicting abstract geometric forms. Pencil signed, dated, and editioned 38/80 along the lower margin. Provenance: The Wadsworth Atheneum, Connecticut; Distinguished Corporate Collection. Lot essay: Perhaps best known for his innovative portraiture, Chuck Close frequently depicted his subjects in organized mosaic compositions, creating pixelated realist portraits. At a young age, Close learned to utilize to navigate a learning disability, later earning degrees from the University of Washington and Yale. His early teaching career at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, led to a controversial 1967 exhibition of male nudes that sparked a landmark First Amendment court case over freedom of speech in the visual arts. After relocating to New York, he achieved major career success; however, a 1988 spinal artery collapse left him paralyzed. Demonstrating profound resilience, Close adapted his practice by using a brush-holding device strapped to his wrist and forearm, allowing him to paint and experiment with new mediums for the remainder of his life. Close is celebrated for his innovative conceptual portraiture, which transposes photographs onto large-scale canvases using a meticulous grid system. His signature style breaks down faces into distinct cells of visual data; his early work featured hyper-realistic, monochromatic airbrush portraits, but he later shifted to a vibrant three-color process. These grid-based works function like pixelated mosaics of juxtaposed color, utilizing lines and layered shapes to create a unified image from a distance. This groundbreaking approach earned him widespread institutional recognition, including a major 1980 retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Sight; height: 64 in x width: 54 in. Framed; height: 71 in x width: 60 in x depth: 1 1/2 in. Condition: The colors are bold and bright. There are no visible tears, creases, losses, or restorations. Light undulation to the sheet. Floated in frame under plexiglass. Light wear to the frame. Not inspected out of frame.