For the past 30 years, American artist Chuck Close (b. 1940) has had essentially one subject, the human face. Since 1968, when Close made the first of his monumental portraits -- an airbrushed black-and-white image of his own head greatly enlarged from a passport-style photograph -- he has explored every conceivable formal permutation of this apparently simple representational problem. This volume, the most comprehensive assessment of Close's work yet published, accompanies a mid-career retrospective exhibition opening 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.