Chuck Close

Chuck Close is a visual artist noted for his inventive techniques to paint the human face, and is best known for his large, photo-based portrait paintings. He is also an accomplished printmaker and photographer whose work has been the subject of more than 200 solo exhibitions including retrospective exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (Madrid) and the State Hermitage Museum (Russia).  President Clinton presented Mr. Close with the National Medal of Arts in 2000. In 1988, Mr. Close was paralyzed following a rare spinal artery collapse; he continues to paint using a brush-holding device strapped to his wrist and forearm. Mr. Close has a B.A. from University of Washington School of Art and BFA and MFA from the Yale University School of Art and Architecture. Close was recently appointed by President Obama to serve on The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.