The Chuck Close Catalogue Raisonné comprises two volumes: Chuck Close: Paintings, published in 2012, and the forthcoming Chuck Close: Works on Paper.

The second volume, Chuck Close: Works on Paper, is the definitive list of works on paper in Close’s oeuvre, which date primarily from 1967 to 1988 and were made with materials including pencil, ink, charcoal, pastel, watercolor, string, and paper pulp. Editor Carina Evangelista has worked directly with Close and his studio in identifying and tracking the works for this volume, which traces an evolution from his use of traditional mediums like pencil and ink to later experiments and innovations.

Close’s predominant two approaches to works on paper are his dot and fingerprint drawings, which together reveal a preoccupation with exploring how basic units—such as abstract dots or organic fingerprints—applied in varying sizes and intensities within a grid can create a visual syntax that reads as a portrait. A number of works in color illustrate his approach of simulating the photomechanical process of overlaying magenta, cyan, and yellow in the creation of an image.

The date of 1988 marks the year that Close suffered a spinal aneurysm that resulted in paralysis, leaving him with mobility only in his neck and arms. His inability to use his fingers limited his ability to grip a pen or a pencil and to calibrate the pressure necessary to apply small marks on paper. However, this volume includes selected studies, coded drawings, and templates Close made in preparation for paintings or editioned works throughout his career, including a few studies for prints and multiples made after 1988.

This volume of the catalogue raisonné provides provenance, along with exhibition and literature histories, for each artwork record. The Related Artworks feature allows users to compare Close artworks across the many mediums he worked with. Also included is a 1976 video documentary of Close at work on one of the dot drawings.

Subscription Information

Chuck Close: Paintings and Chuck Close: Works on Paper are bundled into a single subscription. Subscribers to Chuck Close: Paintings will automatically receive Chuck Close: Works on Paper when it is published.

Call for Information

Please address submissions of any information relevant to Close’s works on paper to Carina Evangelista at cevangelista@artifexpress.com. All information will be kept strictly confidential upon request.