Rauschenberg's longtime gallerist Ileana Sonnabend was often lovingly called the "iron marshmallow." Her sweet, grandmotherly appearance masked a savvy, strategic approach to running her gallery for over four decades. Rauschenberg met Sonnabend when she was married to Leo Castelli and was a key figure in running the Castelli Gallery. Rauschenberg described his closeness to her to writer Calvin Tomkins: "It always seemed to me that Leo went for the intellectual side, and she headed to the sensual…. Let's just say I've never finished a painting without wondering what Ileana would think of it." Sonnabend, one of the greatest and most intrepid collectors and champions of art in the 20th century, was a longtime supporter of Rauschenberg's work, helping to establish his reputation both in the US and abroad. Her first gallery space operated out of Paris; in 1974 she was one of the first gallerists to migrate downtown to the budding arts district of SoHo, and then again to Chelsea in the early 2000s.