Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Richmond, VA
804 367-0844
http://www.vmfa.state.va.us
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Acquires Chuck
Close and Other Works
An important wall drawing by eminent
American artist Sol LeWitt, an ancient African terra-cotta sculpture, and
works by contemporary American artists Elizabeth Murray, Willie Cole and
Chuck Close have been acquired by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
"The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is privileged to
have privately endowed funds that, because they are restricted for art purchases,
allow us to add important works to Virginia's treasure house of original
works of art," says Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Director Katharine
C. Lee. "Judicious acquisitions add excitement and life to an increasingly
renowned collection."
American
artist Chuck Close (b. 1940) is known for his monumental images of the faces
of his family and friends. The museum's acquisition, titled "John,"
is a 1998 silkscreen measuring approximately 5 1/2 by 4 1/2 feet. The print
is based on the artist's 1992 painting of the same title, which was shown
at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 1993. The face is that of artist
John Chamberlain, three of whose sculptures are also included in the museum's
collection. (left: Chuck Close (b. 1940), John
(edition of 80), 1997, 126 color silkscreen, 64 1/2 x 54 1/2 inches, published
by Pace Editions, Katherine Wetzel Photo © 1999 Virginia Museum of
Fine Arts)
Close used multiple screens to apply 126 colors in this
work, which is a tour-de-force of printmaking. The final image closely replicates
the painting and offers a "powerful representation of Close's late
style," John Ravenal, curator of art after 1900 at the Virginia Museum
of Fine Arts, says.
Read more about the Virginia
Museum of Fine Arts in Resource Library
Search for more articles
and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists
for biographical information on historic artists.
This page was originally published in 1999 in Resource
Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for
more information.
Copyright 2012 Traditional
Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit
corporation. All rights reserved.
American
artist Chuck Close (b. 1940) is known for his monumental images of the faces
of his family and friends. The museum's acquisition, titled "John,"
is a 1998 silkscreen measuring approximately 5 1/2 by 4 1/2 feet. The print
is based on the artist's 1992 painting of the same title, which was shown
at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 1993. The face is that of artist
John Chamberlain, three of whose sculptures are also included in the museum's
collection. (left: Chuck Close (b. 1940), John
(edition of 80), 1997, 126 color silkscreen, 64 1/2 x 54 1/2 inches, published
by Pace Editions, Katherine Wetzel Photo © 1999 Virginia Museum of
Fine Arts)