Ted Loos, The New York Times Book Review
"Chuck Close, the great postmodern pointillist printmaker, is a methodical perfectionist."


Book Description
Chuck Close--a man who describes himself as "an artist looking for trouble"--has for three decades consistently but variously challenged the accepted boundaries of the printmaking tradition. Published to accompany a retrospective of his prints opening at Blaffer Gallery and traveling to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and several additional museums around the country, this is the first comprehensive survey of Close's revolutionary prints. Featuring exquisite reproductions of the prints together with essays on Close's career and in-depth interviews with the artist and his master printmakers, the volume blends words and images to give readers unique insight into the creative process. The text highlights the intensely collaborative nature of Close's project and looks into the challenges posed by the unprecedented huge scale he prefers. Close may labor on a single print for as long as two years, working out aesthetic problems that might involve the retrieval of a centuries-old European method on one day and the creation of an entirely new technique (such as applying sunscreen to block light) the next. "Prints have moved me in my unique work more than anything else has," Close says. "Prints change the way I think about things." From the artist's ambitious first mezzotint to his recent pulp-paper multiples, this book chronicles the genius of Chuck Close in the medium in which he has done his most exciting work. Taken together, these prints constitute a remarkable self-portrait of the creative drive, vision, and intellect of one of America's most important living artists. September-December 2007

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For three decades, Chuck Close has challenged the accepted boundaries of the printmaking tradition. This book, published to accompany a retrospective of his prints organized by Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of the University of Houston, and traveling to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and several additional museums around the country, is the first comprehensive survey of Close's revolutionary prints.

Featuring exquisite reproductions of the prints together with essays on Close's career and in-depth interviews with the artist and his master printmakers, Chuck Close Prints highlights the intensely collaborative nature of Close's projects. Close may labor on a single print for as long as two years, working out aesthetic problems by retrieving a centuries-old European method or creating an entirely new technique (such as applying sunscreen to block light). According to Close, "Prints have moved me in my unique work more than anything else has."

From the artist's ambitious first mezzotint to his recent pulp-paper multiples, this book chronicles the genius of Chuck Close in the medium in which he has done his most exciting work. Taken together, these prints constitute a remarkable self-portrait of the creative drive, vision, and intellect of one of America's most important living artists.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times