An expert’s guide to Robert Rauschenberg Five must-read books on the US artist

By José da Silva

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the influential American artist Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008). To mark the occasion, more than half a dozen shows have been organised around the world, led by the New York-based Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

Each focuses on a different aspect of the artist's life and work, from his relationships with his contemporaries in Five Friends at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne (3 October-11 January 2026) to his experimentation with different materials in Robert Rauschenberg: Fabric Works of the 1970s at the Menil Collection in Houston (until 1 March 2026). To help us wrap our heads around Rauschenberg’s varied life and career, the Menil’s senior curator Michelle White has selected five key books on the artist.

Off the Wall: A Portrait of Robert Rauschenberg (2005) by Calvin Tomkins.
“Based on a series of interviews conducted for The New Yorker, this biography provides such an enjoyable journey through Rauschenberg’s life. An astute art historian, Tomkins brings great insight to the importance of the art.”