How Did Chuck Close Influenced The Art World

Chuck Close holds a very significant place within the art world. His life greatly shaped who he was as an artist. He was born in 1940 and passed in 2021; therefore, he lived during the period where many changes occurred in the world. Throughout his life he was able to study at high scale universities, travel abroad, create many pieces, and throughout all of this he gained a popularity. His personal life has closely influenced his life as an artist through which he gained his success. Close had extreme success with his art within both the art community and the general public. However, it took a great deal to overcome his many troubles in life in order for his success to become what it is today. He dealt with many learning disabilities

When he was fourteen years old he came across abstract paintings by Jackson Pollock which was what influenced him to begin his artistic career. He furthered his education at the University of Washington School of Art as well as Yale University School of Art and Architecture. Following his graduation from Yale he received a scholarship to study in Vienna. After studying at the Akademie der Bildenen Künste he moved back to the United States in 1967 to begin his journey. There he started creating his portraits that he is known for which consist of a grid with designs within it. This was just the start for Close because as he continued to make more pieces his techniques continued to

His exposure began when he sold his Big Self-Portrait in 1969 to the Walker Art Museum. That same year he became a part of the Bykert Gallery where he took part of a group exhibition with David Paul, Lynda Benglis, and Richard van Buren. His portraits have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, National Portrait Gallery, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, National Academy of Design, National Gallery of Art, and the Johannesburg Art Gallery. Adding on, his pieces have been a part of a top of the line show within the art community named Whitney Biennial. Clearly, he had big success in his life despite the health problems he faced which is