Up Close and Personal

Up Close & Personal is more than just a collection of portraits of some of the best-known actors and entertainers of our own time; it is, quite deliberately, an exploration of the intangible qualities of fame and celebrity. Jeff Dunas is concerned not so much with who his sitters are, but with the question why we, the audience, can so easily identify with this group of individuals, and whether they have certain qualities that others of us seem not to possess. Common sense would indicate that the stars depicted - ranging from Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie, and Nastassja Kinski, to Martin Sheen, Nick Nolte, and James Brown - are all "normal" people, yet there is something about them that draws us in. When we confront these famous individuals in real life, it can be quite an unnerving experience. Dunas's rich and engaging photographs have much the same affect.