Chuck Close
Lucas, 2011
Jacquard tapestry
87 x 74 in
Edition of 6

Close’s first tapestry edition of 2011 is a portrait of the groundbreaking photographer Lucas Samaras, who (like Close) is perhaps best known for his steadfast commitment to self-portraits. Samaras’s work often involves one of Close’s favorite photographic media – the Polaroid, which Samaras manipulates in innovative ways to produce “photo-transformations.”

Like his other tapestry editions depicting fellow artists and creative figures, Close’s tapestry portrait of Samaras was digitally translated from a daguerreotype. Together with Cindy Sherman and Andres Serrano, also subjects of Close tapestries, and the painter Alex Katz (another artist who has created a tapestry with Magnolia Editions), these artists are responsible for redefining contemporary portraiture; the extraordinary detail of Close’s image and the sheer intensity of Samaras’s gaze leave no doubt that both artist and subject are masters of their craft.