Charles M. Falco (born August 17, 1948) is an American experimental
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
and an expert on the magnetic and optical properties of thin film materials.
Biography
Falco earned his Ph.D. at the
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and p ...
in 1974 and spent the next eight years at
Argonne National Laboratory before joining the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
in 1982 as a Professor of Optical Sciences. In 1989, he received the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Senior Distinguished U.S. Scientist Award, and in 1998 was awarded the UA Chair of Condensed Matter Physics. Falco, a Fellow of the
American Physical Society, the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the
Optical Society of America
Optica (formerly known as The Optical Society (OSA) and before that as the Optical Society of America) is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals and organizes conference ...
, and the
Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) has published more than 250 scientific manuscripts, most of which are related to physical properties of materials produced by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE), co-edited two books, has seven U.S. patents, and has given more than 250 invited talks on his research at conferences and research institutions in 25 countries.
In addition to his scientific research, in 1975 Falco was one of three participants in
Chris Burden
Christopher Lee Burden (April 11, 1946 – May 10, 2015) was an American artist working in performance, sculpture and installation art. Burden became known in the 1970s for his performance art works, including ''Shoot'' (1971), where he arranged ...
's performance art piece '220', and since 1985 his
photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...
has been represented by the agency PhotoResearchers. In 1998 Falco was co-curator of the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is the permanent home of a continuously exp ...
's ''
The Art of the Motorcycle
The Art of the Motorcycle was an exhibition that presented 114 motorcycles chosen for their historic importance or design excellenceSawetz. "The Art of the Motorcycle is curated by Thomas Krens, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, ...
'', for which he also wrote the exhibition catalog's introductory essay and bibliography. With over 2 million visitors in New York, Chicago, Bilbao, Spain and the
Guggenheim Las Vegas, it was the most successful exhibition of industrial design ever assembled, and one of the most attended museum exhibition of any kind.
Slate
/ref> For this work he received an award from the International Association of Art Critics, along with architect Frank Gehry, museum director Thomas Krens
Thomas Krens (born December 26, 1946) is the former director and Senior Advisor for International Affairs of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in New York City.''The New York Times'' staff.Guggenheim Foundation staff From the beginning of his ...
, and filmmaker Ultan Guilfoyle. In 1999, Falco was a technical advisor for the Nam June Paik
Nam June Paik (; July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006) was a Korean American artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use (1974) of the term "electronic super h ...
retrospective at the Guggenheim.
In 2000, Falco began collaborating with the British-American artist David Hockney
David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...
, resulting in their discovery of scientific evidence in paintings made as early as c.1430 that demonstrated portions of them were created with the aid of optical projections. Hockney's 2001 book ''Secret Knowledge'' resulted in widespread coverage of the " Hockney-Falco Thesis" in the popular media, including an hour-long BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''. In 2008, Falco gave the US
's 'Ziegfeld Lecture', awarded for his role in this theory, and for its importance for art education.