Overview
Close Up
“A photographic close-up is perhaps the purest form of portraiture, creating a confrontation between the viewer and the subject that daily interaction makes impossible, or at least impolite. In
a close-up, the impact stems solely from the static subject’s expression or apparent lack thereof,
so the viewer is challenged to read a face without the benefit of the environmental cues we naturally use to form our interpersonal reactions.
After seeing Bernd and Hilla Becher’s water tower series in 1991, I was inspired by the idea of
photographing a large group of subjects in the exact same style. The pictures in my Close Up
series have all been taken from similar angles and with the same equipment, but here I have tried
to bring out personality and capture individuality in a search for a flash of vulnerability and
integrity. The greatest challenge in taking these images lies in the attempt to arrest the subtle
moment that flickers between expressions, movements of which the subject is unaware. Like
most portrait photographers, I aim to record the instant the subject is not thinking about being
photographed, striving to get beyond the practiced facial performance, reaching for something
unplanned. While trying to be as objective as possible, I acknowledge that every gesture is still an
act of artifice. Familiar faces are treated with the same levels of scrutiny as the un-famous. The
unknown and the too-well-known meet on a level platform that enables comparison, where a
viewer’s existing notions of celebrity, value, and honesty are challenged.” – Martin Schoeller
Above is a small selection of Martin’s ongoing series, ‘Close Up.’ Martin has photographed individuals in the same stylistic consistency for over 25 years, and continues to expand this project. Over 3,000 subjects have sat in front of the scrutiny of his camera.
Exhibitions
2020, Close Up, Camera Work, Berlin, Germany
2020, Works, NRW Forum, Dusseldorf, Germany
2019, Up Close, Ostlicht. Gallery for Photography, Vienna, Austria
2018, Close, Camera Work, Berlin, Germany
2018, Big Heads, Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2018, Close Up, Forma Galleria, Milan, Italy
2015, Up Close, Fotografiska, Stockholm, Sweden
2013, Close Up, Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle, Washington, USA
2012, Close Up, Naples Museum of Art, Naples, Florida, USA
2012, Close Up, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
2010, Close Up, National Portrait Gallery, Parkes, Australia
2008, Close Up, Hasted Hunt, New York, New York, USA
2007, Close Up, Ace Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA
2007, Close Up, Bernard Toale, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
2007, Close Up, Griffin Museum, Winchester, Massachusetts, USA
2006 Close Up, Brancolini, Florence, Italy
2006, Close Up, Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2006, Close Up, Hasted Hunt, New York, New York, USA
2005, Close Up, Forma Galleria, Milan, Italy
2005, Close Up, Camera Work, Berlin, Germany
