Photograph by Jeanne Garbarino

I am not sure what it is about PHIL/MANIPULATED—the amazing example of photorealism hanging in the lobby of the Abby. Created by the Washington state native, Chuck Close (born July 5, 1940), this piece of art draws me in. In fact, I might go so far to say that it is my most favorite artwork on the Rockefeller University (RU) campus. Maybe it’s the facial expression or the way shadow is incorporated or perhaps how his hair is totally unkempt. I can’t put my finger on it, but there is some reason why I love it so.

It might just be that I am a huge fan of photorealism, a modality that brought fame to Chuck Close. With his massively scaled portraits, Chuck has been able to represent human expression in a way that lies on the edge of reality. PHIL/MANIPULATED (1982) is one such example. Gifted to RU by David Rockefeller in 2001 as part of the university’s centennial anniversary, the portrait is of the contemporary composer Phillip Glass—a subject whom Chuck used for at least 20 compositions between 1969 and 1996. We set our gaze upon edition 20, which uses an underlying grid work holding together “manipulated” paper.

Though Chuck suffered a debilitating seizure in 1988 that left him paralyzed from the neck down, an occurrence dubbed “The Event” by Chuck himself, he was not deterred. “The Event” was actually an episode of spinal cord collapse and after rehab and physical therapy, Chuck is able to move his arms, but still needs a wheelchair. He continues to produce pieces of art that are highly coveted by museums everywhere. In addition to RU, you can find artwork by Chuck Close featured at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and at the MoMA.