Chuck Close (b. 1940, Monroe, Washington; d. 2021, Oceanside, NY) was one of the most prolific contemporary American artists. He rose to prominence with his Photorealist portraits on nine-foot-tall canvases, airbrushed in black and white. Using a variety of photo-based techniques, Close created over 200 portraits of friends’ faces that appear photographic from a distance. His later work, though still derived from photographs, transcends the Photorealist genre. Close received his both his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from Yale University, and studied at the Akademie der Bildenen Kunste in Vienna on a Fulbright Grant.