Red, Yellow and Blue : The Last Paintings

The final works of the photorealist pioneer, made with a palette of only three colors

Since the 1970s, Chuck Close (1940–2021) has been known for his innovative approach to conceptual portraiture, systematically transposing his subjects’ likenesses from photographs into gridded paintings. Published on the occasion of Pace Gallery’s first exhibition of the artist’s work since his death in 2021, Red, Yellow, and Blue spotlights Close’s final body of paintings, which employ a palette of only three colors. Layering transparent glazes of red, yellow and blue paint, Close created an effect of abstract likeness entirely different from that of his previous work. Alongside studio photography and images of Close’s mosaic works, this volume features a previously unpublished 2018 interview between Close and Cindy Sherman―originally commissioned by the Brooklyn Rail―as well as a new critical essay by Carter Ratcliff, which considers Close’s final works in depth. An additional essay by Barbara Knappmeyer examines the artist’s portraits in the context of facial recognition technology.