From The Archives: Legendary Artist Chuck Close
Years back, I was given the opportunity to visit and photograph legendary artist Chuck Close at his New York City Studio.
The shoot was for the Los Angeles Times Calendar Section cover story on Chuck. I was familiar with some of his work at the time, but didn’t know much about him personally. In 1988 he suffered a collapsed spinal artery which left him paralyzed on one side of his body. Through rehabilitation, he’s able to continue his painting, which makes his artistry that much more amazing.
I was given an address of a non-descript apartment building on a corner in SoHo and was amazed when the door opened onto a two-floor studio. Chuck’s easel, if you want to call it that, is located In the back of the studio against connected to a lift that can move the artwork up and down on the wall between the 1st floor and the basement so he can work on his paintings at eye level from his wheelchair.
I wasn’t able to take an overall shot of the setup because the piece he was working on at the time, a portrait of President Bill Clinton’s face, was embargoed. I was able to take pictures of chuck around the studio and details of the painting. Though you can see the painting and setup in the background of one of the photos.
Since the shoot I’ve become more familiar with his work and have been taking note of his work whenever I see it whether at a museum, the web, or an office building. I’ve also run into Chuck a few times over the past 7 years at various events at the MoMA and the United Nations.
Anyhow, it was a really fun experience to meet Chuck. The man is a legend!
A chuck Close painting in the JP Morgan Chase Headquarters in New York City.
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