Robert Rauschenberg at 100 How the Relentless Experimenter Rewired American Art
By Jo Lawson-Tancred
The sheer breadth of exhibitions in this year’s Robert Rauschenberg Centennial—a global celebration marking 100 years since the artist’s birth on October 22, 1925—is testament to the constant productivity of his 82 years. Everywhere in contemporary art, Rauschenberg’s influence remains plain to see.
Often cited as the very first postmodern artist, Rauschenberg was instrumental in radically reinventing modernist influences in order to usher in a bold, new era of American art. A legend of the midcentury New York scene, Rauschenberg first made his name for his “Combines,” a series of radical painting-sculpture hybrids constructed from a mass of found objects. These pieces transformed the seminal lessons of Dada, breaking with the then-dominant conventions of Abstract Expressionism to pre-empt the rise of Pop Art.
But Rauschenberg didn’t stop there. He is perhaps best remembered for his relentless pursuit of the new, happily working in all manner of material from metal to glass, silkscreen, cardboard, and fabric.
This fall, the Robert Rauschenberg Centennial bumper program includes shows at the Museum of the City of New York and the Guggenheim in New York, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Des Moines Art Center, and the Menil in Houston. In Europe, the acclaimed “Five Friends” exhibition celebrating Rauschenberg and his most intimate working relationships is touring to the Museum Ludwig in Cologne. The artist’s work in Asia is also being recognized by a sweeping survey at M+ in Hong Kong.
[...]
Another classic series by Rauschenberg is the “Gluts” (1986-94): wall-mounted and freestanding sculptures made from discarded metal objects like car parts or traffic signs. The series was inspired by the huge amounts of auto detritus that littered parts of Texas, and much of the artist’s material was retrieved from junk yards. An exhibition of these works has just gone on view at Thaddaeus Ropac gallery in Paris.
