Ray's Hand: Artifacts from the Eames Collection The spotlight here is on Ray who, especially early in their partnership, was often presented as Charles’s “artist wife” and/or as “helping” him in his work. Even though she was sometimes acknowledged as a full partner thereafter, her centrality to the partnership tended to get lost for various reasons, from her modesty and Charles’s greater public profile when they met to wider societal issues, including systemic sexism. Charles appreciated Ray’s multifarious talents better than anyone, and when, in 1965, Current Biography included an entry for him alone, it quoted him as stating that Ray was “equally responsible” with him “for everything that goes on here [the Eames Office].” When emphasizing her importance, he often cited her interest in structure honed during six years studying with European émigré artist Hans Hofmann, or claimed “Anything I can do, Ray can do better.”
