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Chuck Close

CHUCK CLOSE

Lucas / Mosaic, 2019 Gary Tatintsian Gallery 13 May–6 July 2025 New York
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Press Release

Chuck Close’s approach to mosaic captures the spirit of his photographic realism, while transforming it through the tactile, fragmented nature of the medium. The structured grid of his usual style gives way to a surface that blends abstraction with photorealism, resulting in a powerful, monumental work. The small pieces of smalti mosaic glass, used to recreate the Portrait of Lucas Samaras, revive the tradition of golden tesserae and semiprecious stones—materials once chosen to inspire awe in medieval art.

The artist’s mosaic work pays homage to the traditions of ancient Byzantium and echoes the legacy of historic art—from Greek panels and Pompeian mosaic floors to early Byzantine and Renaissance smalt mosaics, such as those in Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The tiny fragments of green glass and cobalt-blue smalt used in the piece evoke the ancient practice of adorning sacred relics with golden mosaics and semiprecious stones, inspiring a sense of reverence for their beauty and craftsmanship. Much like Byzantine art, which favored stylization over naturalism, Close’s mosaic portraits shift fluidly from hyperrealism to abstraction, creating a rich dialogue between historical tradition and contemporary vision.

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About the Artist

Chuck Close (1940, Monroe, WA, USA – 2021, Oceanside, NY, USA).

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About the Gallery
Gary Tatintsian Gallery is dedicated to organising exhibitions of American and European contemporary art.
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119 West 22nd Street
New York
United States
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New York 119 West 22nd Street
Gary Tatintsian Gallery contemporary art gallery in New York United States
Gary Tatintsian Gallery
119 West 22nd Street, New York, United States
https://tatintsian.com/
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