BATON ROUGE, LA.- On January 17, 2009, the work of renowned American painter, printmaker and photographer Chuck Close will be on exhibit at LASM. A Couple of Ways of Doing Something: Photographs by Chuck Close, Poems by Bob Holman will be displayed through March 8.

Close has been a leading figure in contemporary art since the late 1960s and is best known for his portraits. On view will be a stunning collection of portraits of Close’s circle of influential artist-friends such as Cindy Sherman, Philip Glass and Elizabeth Murray. Fifteen daguerreotypes form the basis for other works in the show including digital prints, large tapestries and photogravures. Complementing these images are poems by the celebrated and widely published New York School poet Bob Holman.

Close is one of the earliest artists to use photography as the foundation of paintings and prints. To create the works in the exhibition, Close worked with daguerreotype master Jerry Spagnoli to conquer the complexities of the early photographic process. A Couple of Ways of Doing Something offers images that are intimate and immensely revealing studies of their subjects. Holman’s accompanying poems are concise, witty and beautifully typeset to reflect the personality and style of each person portrayed. With the counterpoint of Holman’s engaging poetry, as well as the works in other media, the exhibition becomes a transfixing group portrait that explores the idea of the “art circle” and its importance to an artist’s work and life.