"The most comprehensive assessment of Chuck Close's work yet published, this volume accompanied a mid-career retrospective exhibition that opened at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, on February 25, 1998. A leading figure in the New York art world since the early 1970s, Close has recently concentrated on portraits of his artist friends and colleagues, characterized by colorful patterning and vivid brushwork. Subjects include Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Alex Katz, Kiki Smith, Lucas Samaras and Lorna Simpson. Here, more than 90 paintings, prints, drawings and photographs are reproduced, along with details and comparative illustrations."