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Christopher Finch
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Chuck Close: Work Hardcover – Illustrated, September 22, 2014

by Christopher Finch (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 94 ratings
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Now available in a newly revised and expanded edition, this book offers the definitive critical examination of one of America’s most celebrated living artists. Chuck Close reinvented portraiture more than four decades ago with a series of nine-foot-tall, black-and-white likenesses of himself and fellow artists, which astonished an art world dominated by Minimalism and Conceptualism. Close has since explored the possibilities implicit in his original breakthrough in an array of media. This lavish, large-format volume deals with all aspects of Close’s career and places them in a biographical context. Christopher Finch’s insight into Close’s achievement comes by way of hundreds of studio visits and thousands of hours of conversation since he met Close in 1968. The author provides an engaging, in-depth analysis of Close’s portraits on canvas, from the continuous-tone airbrushed heads of the 1960s and 1970s to the painterly "prismatic grids" of the past decades. Featuring 365 illustrations, the book surveys almost all of Close’s paintings, including his most recent work, together with a selection of prints and multiples and examples of his photographic oeuvre. This beautifully designed volume reveals not only the variety of pictorial strategies Close has devised, but also the extraordinary personality of the artist behind the work.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    370 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Prestel USA
  4. Publication date
    September 22, 2014
  5. Dimensions
    11.82 x 1.5 x 13.69 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    379134918X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-3791349183
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Christopher Finch has written the most thorough consideration of Close's life and work yet. His massive book handsomely illustrates every phase of Close's art and every stage in its making." - Kenneth Baker, San Francisco Chronicle. Chuck Close: Work - brings all [Close's] work together, and the result is astonishing. Like all great art, Close's is work that demands to be reckoned with - work that forces us to shift our perspective." --Michael Hainey, GQ

About the Author

Christopher Finch is an artist and author. His many books include the bestsellers The Art of Walt Disney and the novel Good Girl, Bad Girl.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Prestel USA; Expanded edition (September 22, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 370 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 379134918X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-3791349183
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.82 x 1.5 x 13.69 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 94 ratings

About the author

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Christopher Finch

Christopher Finch

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Christopher Finch was born in Guernsey in the British Channel Islands, and now lives in Los Angeles. He is an artist and a photographer who has had one person shows in New York and California, and he is the author of almost thirty non-fiction books including the best sellers Rainbow: the Stormy Life of Judy Garland, The Art of Walt Disney, Jim Henson: the Works, and Norman Rockwell's America. Recently he has embarked on a series of noir-inflected mystery novels set in New York in the late 1960s and featuring the private investigator Alex Novalis. The first of these, Good Girl, Bad Girl, is to be published by Thomas & Mercer in 2013. These books draw on his own experiences in the New York art world at a time when today's SoHo was an urban wilderness with rats frolicking in the gutters and artists eking out a living in barren loft spaces. He is married to Linda Rosenkrantz, an author and a co-founder of the website Nameberry.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
94 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

B Scott Methvin
5.0 out of 5 stars I knew a little bit about Chuck Close the person, now I know his real history
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
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An interesting story about an extremely talented artist. As an artist/painter myself it was a very entertaining and interesting read. If you love his artwork you should know the background. And you should also see his art in person some day. I was hooked the day I saw his pulp paper portrait of his daughter many years ago in Atlanta.
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Matthew K
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating life
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2010
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I first learned who Chuck Close was when he was on The Colbert Report back in August--that night I ordered both Chuck Close: Work and Chuck Close: Life. Now three months later I finally got time to read the book, and I am very pleased I ordered it. Not knowing anything about Chuck or the art world in general, it was incredibly fascinating to have an inside look at other artists and how the art world operated(both from Chuck's perspective as well as the author's, who was an 'art world insider').

As another reviewer as said, the author is a friend of Chuck's and I do agree that he is at times boasting about Chuck's ability, but I don't think this necessarily takes anything away from the book. And probably, had the author not been a good friend of Chuck's, the book wouldn't contain the immense amount of personal information that it does, which adds a lot to understanding Chuck.

There was also a comment about the images not being of the highest quality; this is true, but Chuck Close: Life is meant to be a companion to Chuck Close: Work; the works shown in 'Life' are meant simply to show the change in Chuck's technique over the years. If one is looking to gawk over his work for long periods of time and intently study the images, probably 'Work' is where you should look. Sadly, due to business and laziness, I still haven't removed the shrink wrap from Chuck Close: Work, so I can't comment on the quality of the images in that book. One thing that I definitely noticed right away is that 'Life' is a very sturdy book--nice binding and big thick pages (no doubt Chuck saw to it that the book would hold up)--and probably the lack of image quality comes from the absorbency of the paper and it's cream color.

I think the only negative comment I'd leave about Chuck Close: Life is that the author really isn't a very good writer. It almost became a game to spot words that the author seemed to have learned while writing different sections of the book, and he then decided to use that word as often as possible: 'tour de force' is used to describe like the first half dozen works Chuck creates after Big Nude; 'aplomb' is overused in the span of three or four pages to describe Chuck and his wife (and maybe other people--again, see: overused); and the case is the same with 'au courant' at the end of the book (because other people only need to be up to date on the art world once Chuck has become famous?).

Nevertheless, still 5 stars.

UPDATE: I was just reading through the reviews I'd written, and I should really take back what I said about the author being a bad writer. He is a fine writer, he just likes to use fancy, and perhaps somewhat-unnecessary, language sometimes.
5 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars TRUE GRIT-
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2010
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Among the most respected American artists of his generation, a member in good standing of the New York City cultural elite, honored by exhibitions throughout the world, recipient of many awards for his service to Art and to Humanity, Chuck Close has had it all....except his fair share of perceptual, neurological and immunological characteristics. This fine biography, at the request, and with the full participation, of it's subject, and cooperation of his family, friends, fellow-members of the art world, and consumers of his product, captures the human drama of a man imbued with a lust for achievement who surmounted minor as well as devastating barriers, to become an icon of personal survival in an often nightmarish experiential world. While there was the major shock of becoming a "partial paraplegic" in his late forties, it was daily coping with extraordinary incursions on independent living that has sunk many others into impenetrable despair, that required the courage and commitment that he possessed to a superior degree than most, in order for him to continue his professional successes and add to them other significant contributions. Without bathos the author retails the early challenges of dyslexia and neurological weaknesses as well as the later critical illnesses and the manner in which he coped and surmounted the difficulties. His family relationships are detailed with some suggestive hypotheses as to their impact on him without the tedious and tendentious speculation that so mars many other contemporary biographies. His mother and his wife were clearly dominant in their very different ways in influencing his personal adjustments, as were a number of named teachers, colleagues, and previous artists in his professional life. The author is quite good at suggesting the travails that his wife endured due to his illness, but only she can know the cost to her of the wracking anxieties and emotional stress that her role imposed upon her. The author, a long time friend, aptly sketches the technical nature of his artistic growth but defers here to the thorough treatment of Close's work in his earlier book devoted to that theme.
Overall, a biography that should be of considerable interest to the general reader to whom it is addressed as well as to those with greater involvement in the art world who will find valuable insight into one of their own.
2 people found this helpful
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Patricia Mccarty
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Mr. Close
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2011
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Although I have not finished this book I am enjoying it thoroughly. Th author is a super stoy teller and what a story to tell. Chuck Close is not only one of the greatest artists in the United States he is a incredible person. His struggle with disabilities as a young person and then later his spinal stroke which left him wheel chair bound. He never gave up and went on to paint better than ever. His life is magical and so is his work. I was lucky enough to see a number of his work at San Francisco MOMA part of the Fisher Collection and it was fantastic. I had only seen photographs and the originals were breathtaking. The art world is so fortunate that Chuck Close never gave up the fight. Any one who is intrested in his work should own and read this book.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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J. McDonald 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
5.0 out of 5 stars Chuck Close: Work.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 15, 2021
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A huge, heavy and very serious hardback volume on one of the most fascinating American painters of our age; aside from his remarkable output, Close has produced a prodigious and impressive body of work despite suffering from prosopagnosia (face blindness) and in 1988 spinal paralysis.
The book contains over 300 illustrations many large in scale and in colour including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and tapestries; this revised edition from 2010 has 13 new works not included in the original 2007 volume.
A very recommendable reference for anyone interested in Close, covering his early Photorealism to his more recent colourful, optically experimental work.
One person found this helpful
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFUL
Reviewed in Italy on June 5, 2017
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Bellissimo libro, si apprezza tutto il lavoro dell'artista nella sua totalità.
Il grande formato fa apprezzare i dettagli dei dipinti di Close e della sua ricerca.
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Ken Udle
5.0 out of 5 stars If you're facing physical challenges, read this
Reviewed in Canada on May 27, 2014
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Well written, honest, and enlightening. Required reading for any painter, photographer, artist. I would have liked to get the companion volume "Work" but didn't have the budget. If you're debating on the two, buy this one and check out the other from the library.
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Chris Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
Reviewed in Canada on February 5, 2019
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Chuck Close is a powerful artist, the details are incredible.
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Chris Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Chuck Close : Work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2009
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This is a really excellent book, with high quality reproductions that bring you as near to Chuck Close's work as you can get without seeing the real paintings. Particularly useful are the enlargements of sections of his work so that you get an understanding of how the work is executed. The book is well written and for anyone who requires a comprehensive overview of Close's life, working method's and an informed opinion on his work, this book is a worthy choice.
7 people found this helpful
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