Hyper-realistic heads, created by dividing up enlarged photographs of the subject transported onto canvas by means of a grid - these are the Ritratti or portraits of Chuck Close, one of the most important exponents of American figurative art, a total thirty pieces shown for the first time in Italy at the American Academy in Rome.

The works are all large format made using engraving techniques (from lithography to etching, screen printing and other techniques developed by the artist himself) and cover thirty years of Close’s development, from the seventies up to the present.

A highly personal artistic technique which underwent a decisive change in 1988 when, aged 48, the artist was hit by an illness which left him semi paralysed after which Close invented a device which allowed him to paint by tying the paintbrush to his forearm. To create his portraits, he takes a series of photos of the subject and then breaks down the images on canvas using grids, enlarging them to bring out the detail, almost fanatically, with the resulting paintings giving almost the sensation of a digital image. For many years Close has been working with the Pace-Wildenstein Gallery and one of his portraits was sold for 2 billion lira. His work makes up part of the collections of some of the most prestigious museums.

Until 21.4.2002
Chuck Close - Ritratti
American Academy in Rome
via Angelo Masina 5, Rome
T +39-06-58461
https://www.aarome.org