Rago Auctions

Robert Rauschenberg was a seminal figure in American art whose innovative work bridged the gap between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art, profoundly influencing the direction of contemporary art. Born Milton Ernest Rauschenberg on October 22, 1925, in Port Arthur, Texas, he grew up in a working-class family: his father worked for the Gulf State Utilities power company and his mother was a frugal woman who made her family’s clothes from scraps (possibly influencing Rauschenberg’s later work with collage and assemblage).

After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Rauschenberg enrolled at the Kansas City Art Institute on the G.I. Bill. He later studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he met fellow artist Susan Weil, who would become his first wife. In 1948, Rauschenberg returned to the United States to study at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, an experimental institution that emphasized interdisciplinary collaboration. Here, he worked alongside influential figures like Josef Albers, John Cage, and Merce Cunningham, who significantly impacted his artistic development.

Rauschenberg's early works were influenced by Abstract Expressionism, but he quickly began to diverge from the movement's focus on pure abstraction and emotional intensity. Instead, he developed a unique approach that combined everyday objects and images with traditional art materials. This approach culminated in his Combines series, which he began in the mid-1950s. These works blurred the boundaries between painting and sculpture, incorporating materials such as fabric, newspaper, photographs, and even taxidermied animals. Notable pieces from this series include Monogram (1955-1959), featuring a taxidermied goat encircled by a tire, and Canyon (1959), which includes a stuffed eagle.

In 1964, Rauschenberg won the first prize for painting at the Venice Biennale, solidifying his international reputation and marking a turning point in his career. His success helped pave the way for the acceptance of American artists on the global stage and contributed to the rise of Pop Art. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Rauschenberg continued to push the boundaries of art, experimenting with new techniques and technologies. This included a collaboration with engineers from Bell Laboratories on the Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.) initiative, exploring the intersection of art and technology.

Rauschenberg's work was characterized by its playful, eclectic style and its embrace of chance and spontaneity. He often used silkscreen printing to incorporate photographic images into his paintings, creating layered, collage-like compositions. His use of found objects and everyday materials challenged traditional notions of what could be considered art. In addition to his artistic achievements, Rauschenberg was known for his philanthropic efforts. In 1984, he founded the Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI), a project aimed at promoting cultural exchange and understanding through art. He traveled to countries with politically and socially volatile environments, creating and exhibiting works that reflected the local cultures.

Rauschenberg received many honors during his lifetime. The Whitney Museum of Art held a retrospective of his work in 1990, and he won the Commandant de l'Ordre des Lettres from the French government in 1992, followed by the National Medal of the Arts in 1993. He was the focus of another retrospective exhibition in 1997 at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, which featured a staggering 467 works from the course of his career and took six years to prepare.

Rauschenberg created his eponymous foundation in 1990, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, to promote awareness of the causes he cared about. His legacy lives on in the foundation today as is evident in their powerful mission statement: “The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation primarily supports small to midsize arts and socially-engaged organizations that are contrarian and experimental, even courageous, in driving towards equity. In addition, the Foundation amplifies the creative life of artists and scholars across the disciplines through residencies, commissions, and accessible public platforms. Finally, the Foundation supports research, exhibitions, publications, academic partnerships and special projects across the globe that promote the legacy of Rauschenberg’s joyful, responsive, and irreverent approach to making work while living an empathetic and meaningful life.”