I can’t even begin to express to you what an honor it was to meet Chuck Close during his opening reception at Blum & Poe in Culver City – I mean history books have literally been changed solely because of his work! Besides the artist himself, the definite crowd pleasers were two tapestries that were hanging in the back room. And it took a minute for me to register that the works were actually made out of thread, since the quality of the rendering was so sharp they looked like photographs with black backgrounds. However, my personal favorite pieces on display was a series of smaller works that were composed entirely out of thick circular paint dabs. I’ve officially decided that if Chuck Close were a boxer, he’d be more badass and powerful than Muhummad Ali and Mike Tyson combined. He can still paint better than anyone even a quarter of his age – all while enduring the pain of a degenerative illness. Plus, I think he’s the only artist that could get away with wearing the funkiest matching shirt and pants ever!
Tapestry
Self Portrait
Portrait of Laurie Anderson
Portrait of Zhang Huan
Tapestry of Lucas Samaras
It isn’t a great opening unless there’s a puppy spotted in the gallery!
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CHUCK CLOSE: http://chuckclose.org
BLUM & POE: http://www.blumandpoe.com/
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