WestHollywoodToday: Recap of Photographer Chris Cuffaro's GREATEST HITS & Future Projects

Photos & story by Karen Ostlund

(left) Gibson rep. pointing at Chris Cuffaro

GREATEST HITS, the premiere art retrospective, photography exhibition & auction with live music celebrating the work of Los Angeles photographer Chris Cuffaro, opened in West Hollywood last Thursday, February 2^nd at Gibson Brands in West Hollywood (8801 Sunset Blvd, former Tower Records space).

The GREATEST HITS show featured over sixty different photographs fifteen, large 60x60 photographs as well as over-sixty 24x24 images in limited and numbered quantities including: Alice in Chains, Bad Brains, Ben Harper, Brian Wilson, Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder, Elvis Costello, Fiona Apple, George Harrison, George Michael, Gwen Stefani, Henry Rollins, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Iggy Pop, INXS, Jackson Browne, Jane's Addiction, John Lydon, Nick Cave, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder, Phil Collins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slash, Social Distortion, Soundgarden, Steve Jones, Terence Trent D'Arby, The Afghan Whigs, The Game, Tommy Lee, White Zombie and Willie Nelson.

Opening act by Particle

The night's musical performances featured upcoming LA artists: Givers & Takers, Josh Todd, Lauren Ruth Ward, Particle, The Palms, DJ's Fred Sablan and Jeordie White.

100% of the proceeds from artwork sales for GREATEST HITS went to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a charity providing financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability or age-related problems. www.sweetrelief.org

Cuffaro's George Michael portraits

The first exhibition of Cuffaro's
photography was held in Los Angeles in 1992, composed of 31 photographs.In 2011, his portraits of late lead-vocal Michael Hutchence and INXS were exhibited in London:"Michael Hutchence & INXS: Rare & Unseen by Chris Cuffaro”. It was held at the Gallery Soho.

"I have intention to do a similar exhibit for George Michael here in Los Angeles, said Chris "Only four photos of George Micheal are featured in my GREATEST HITS auction-exhibit".
Singer George Michael died Christmas Day 2016 of heart failure.
Cuffaro continued: "I am also working on a documentary with help of the managers behind my photographed artists. It will feature footage of myself and talents, the last 30 years as a photographer"

Chris Cuffano is best known for his portraits of musicians, and he was closely associated with the Seattle rock scene of the early 1990s, and frequently photographed artists including Nirvana and Pearl Jam. He directed the first black-and-white video Jeremy for the Pearl Jam song “Jeremy" in 1991. Cuffaro and lead-vocal Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam became friends, but the label ultimately shelved the black-and-white video, and instead commissioning a more commercial video when "Jeremy" was released as a single.