Chuck Close

Who is Chuck Close?

Charles Thomas "Chuck" Close is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a photorealist, through his massive-scale portraits. Though a catastrophic spinal artery collapse in 1988 left him severely paralyzed, he has continued to paint and produce work that remains sought after by museums and collectors. Close lives and works on the south shore of Long Island, and New York City's East Village and in Bridgehampton, New York. His first wife was Leslie Rose with whom he has two daughters. They divorced in 2011 and Close is now married to artist Sienna Shields.