American Christopher Rauschenberg is one of the heroes of contemporary photography. He is first and foremost a first-class artist, represented by the estimable Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland, Oregon where he lives with his wife, Janet Stein. Stein is mentioned here because she is also a seemingly indefatigable second pair of eyes for Chris. Rauschenberg is the most generous fellow around, looking at any and every portfolio at the many reviews he attends. In Portland, he was one of the founders of The Blue Sky Gallery, a terrific not-for-profit space in The Pearl District.
Blue Sky celebrated this summer a total eclipse of the sun in the US with a special exhibition, The Eclipse Show, curated by Mr. Rauschenberg. The basis for the show is, in many respects, “magical heart stopping images of people in which you do not see their eyes”, which is the working description of The Unseen Eye’s collection, highlights of which were exhibited at Blue Sky almost exactly five years ago.
