Chuck Close is facing allegations from several women that he sexually harassed them when they went to his studio to pose for him. Close is an acclaimed artist, whose massive portraits have homes in the world’s top museums. Two women recently told The New York Times that Close asked them to model naked for him, which made them feel “exploited and uncomfortable.” The Huffington Post published similar accounts from women, including inappropriate comments about a woman’s genital area. Close, 77, said that he has spoken to women candidly and even crudely about their body parts. But he said he did so in the interests of evaluating them as possible subjects. The artist apologized if “he had made women feel uncomfortable.”
“Last time I looked, discomfort was not a major offense,” he added, according to The New York Times. “I never reduced anyone to tears, no one ever ran out of the place. If I embarrassed anyone or made them feel uncomfortable, I am truly sorry, I didn’t mean to. I acknowledge having a dirty mouth, but we’re all adults.”
Asking women to model nude is not a new tradition in the art world, but The New York Times writes that there is an unofficial code of conduct associated with painting someone nude. The women who spoke to The Times and HuffPost claim Close violated this code.
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