Chuck Close was an American painter, photographer, and visual artist. He is known for making distinctive and monumental portraits of himself and others. Chuck Close's net worth before his death is estimated to be approximately $25 million.
Full Name | Charles Thomas Close |
Date of Birth | July 5, 1940 |
Born Place | Monroe, Washington, United States |
Profession | Painter, Photographer |
Net Worth | $25 million |
Died on | August 19, 2021, at the age of 81 |
Early Life
Chuck was born on July 5, 1940, in Monroe, Washington, the son of Leslie Durward Close and Mildred Wagner Close. As a child he had difficulty attending school due to undiagnosed dyslexia, but he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. He then attended Yale University, where he earned a Master’s degree in Foreign Affairs in 1964.
He later entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and, returning to the United States, worked as an art professor at the University of Massachusetts.
Chuck Close net worth and career
Chuck is known for his contributions to portraiture through a variety of drawings and drawing techniques using ink, graphite, pastels, finger painting, woodblock, screen printing, Polaroid photography, and Conte pastels. .
His first solo exhibition was in 1967 at the University of Massachusetts, where he taught. Her display garnered negative attention from the university due to the inclusion of male nudity. The case even went to court and the American Civil Liberties Union ruled in favor of the artist. He decided to leave Boston and then move to New York.
Chuck’s best work is a self-portrait in which he returns to the camera wearing black-rimmed plastic glasses, his hair tousled, and a smoking cigarette in his mouth. Equally monumental were his other works, including portraits of artist Joe Zucker, sculptor Richard Serra, and composer Philip Glass.
In 1999, his portrait of Cindy Sherman sold for $1.2 million and a painting titled “John” sold at Sotheby’s to the Broad Art Foundation for $4.8 million.
Personal Life
Despite her huge success, she also faced accusations of sexual harassment at the height of the MeToo movement. In 2017, two women accused him of sexually assaulting them when they came to his studio to pose as models. A year later, four other women said that he had persecuted them. In response, he apologized to the New York Times, saying, “If I embarrassed anyone or made anyone uncomfortable, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Regarding his family life, he first married Leslie Rose, with whom he had two daughters. They divorced in 2011 and married artist Sienna Shields in 2013. They also later divorced in 2017.
On August 19, 2021, Chuck passed away at the age of 81.
Chuck Close’s Luck
Chuck Close’s net worth before his death is estimated to be approximately $25 million. His works “John” sold for $4.8 million, “Phil” for $3.2 million, “Eric” for $3 million, “Gwynn” for $2.8 million, “Cindy” for $1.46 million, Mark/Pastel for $1.1 million. and many more. . .
Close’s work can be found in institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, New York’s MoMA, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.