Chuck Close: Self-Portraits 1967 – 2005

No, it’s not all about him–really. Still, we were intrigued by the contrast between the monumental paintings anchoring each end of this decades-spanning exhibit. In ’69, a portrait of the artist as a young scrapper looking to shake things up is rendered with stark black and white precision (this is the masterwork purchased by the Walker straight from the artist’s studio). Thirty-six years later, Close renders his likeness in sumptuous, kaleidoscopically colored “pixels,” and there’s a palpable sense of the artist as an elegant, aging, and affluent authority figure. But he’s still exploring and discovering. He talked recently about noting the strong connections between his work and traditionally female crafts like knitting and quilting–and thereby coming to realize the influence his grandmother had on his wide-ranging work. So even if Close is an egomaniac (he’s used to people thinking that), he’s an incredibly smart and perceptive one. 612-375-7600, www.walkerart.org