Don Bachardy: with two recent gallery shows and a new film about his life with Christopher Isherwood, the artist enjoys the rewards of a gay life well lived.(PROFILE)(Interview)

Publication: The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine)

Publication Date: 17-JUN-08

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DON BACHARDY, one of America's most respected portraitists, has captured the likes of Robert Mapplethorpe, Natalie Wood, and Bette Davis on paper and canvas. Yet Bachardy's most persistent identification remains his partnership of over 33 years with legendary British novelist Christopher Isherwood, who died in January 1986. Bachardy's considerable talent and his enduring bond with Isherwood each get pride of place in a powerful new documentary, Chris and Don: A Love Story, from filmmakers Guido Santi and Tina Mascara, which premieres June 13 in New York City. What's more, Bachardy just enjoyed exhibitions of his male nudes, portraits, and abstracts at Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica, Calif., and New York City's White Columns gallery.

Pride month is a fitting time to catch up with the artist at his home--a bungalow tucked into the rugged hillside of a Santa Monica canyon, with a pristine view of the Pacific on one side and the...

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