Robert Rauschenberg Renovation (Night Shade), 1991

Tarnish and silkscreen ink on brushed aluminium

116.4 x 121.9 cm

One of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Robert Rauschenberg revolutionised the picture plane by bringing together painting, photography and sculpture in a highly inventive way. From the mid-1980s onwards, following his travels to Chile, he swapped canvas for metal sheets onto which he applied tarnishing agents that produced a chemical reaction on the surface.

To create the Night Shades, Rauschenberg silkscreened images onto mirrored or brushed aluminium, applying a tarnish called Aluma Black with gestural strokes. The title of Renovation (Night Shade) likely derives from the architectural imagery of scaffolding and a balcony. Images of buildings and construction often appear in Rauschenberg’s works, perhaps as a sign of his interest in constructing unique objects and innovative techniques. The image in the upper right is a group portrait, taken during a trip up the Amazon River to visit local communities in Venezuela, as part of his Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI) project (1984–91).