Alex

1996
(American, 1940–2021)
Image: 104.8 x 81.9 cm (41 1/4 x 32 1/4 in.); Paper: 119.3 x 88.7 cm (46 15/16 x 34 15/16 in.); Matted: 127 x 101.6 cm (50 x 40 in.)
© Chuck Close, courtesy The Pace Gallery
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location: not on view

Download, Print and Share

Description

Since the 1960s Chuck Close has been an important and influential contemporary artist, concentrating on portraiture. Photography has always been integral to his work, either as a visual aid for his huge paintings or as an independent form of artistic expression. This is a large, intense close-up of the artist Alex Katz (born 1927). Katz's staring visage, rich in textural detail, dominates this image which was produced by a new process for Close. Working with master printer David Adamson, Close digitally transferred the image from a 20-by-24-inch black-and-white Polaroid he had previously made to a computer graphics workstation. After making adjustments, he used a modified Iris printer and special archival inks to print the image, creating a work distinguished by its wide tonal range and lush blacks.
Alex

Alex

1996

Chuck Close

(American, 1940–2021)
America, 20th century

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.