Chuck Close - Contemporary Art Part II New York Friday, November 13, 2009 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    The Magnolia Tapestry Project, Oakland

  • Catalogue Essay


    For over thirty years, Chuck Close’s face has emerged from tonal grids of fingerprints, pointillist dots, brushstrokes, paper pulp and countless other media. The inspiration for the present lot derives from a series of daguerrotypes begun in the mid-1990s. The technique draws its influence from two methods separated by nearly two hundred years of art history- namely the 19th century photographic technique, defined by its infinite detail and emotional resonance and the Magnolia Tapestry Project’s digitally-driven 21st century approach to weaving. This newly developed technique, a result of experiments conducted within the last decade, begins with the creation of a digital weave file and is then sent to an electronic jacquard loom for fabrication. Unlike traditional weaving, there is no ‘cartoon’ or interpretation by weavers; the loom is guided entirely by the digital file, meaning that the artist’s intention is precisely realized with no mediation. The formidable impact of Self-Portrait, with its crisp, animated detail and rich texture allows the viewer to participate in a powerful somatic experience: a wordless, intimate confrontation with a dedicated artistic pioneer.

133

Self-Portrait

2006
Jacquard tapestry with stainless steel brackets and rod.
99 1/2 x 77 x 3 1/2 in. (252.7 x 195.6 x 8.9 cm).

Signed “Chuck Close” on a label sewn to the reverse. This work is a publisher’s proof from an edition of 10 plus three artist’s and three publisher’s proofs.

Estimate
$90,000 - 120,000 

Sold for $158,500

Contemporary Art Part II

13 Nov 2009
New York