Artists' News
Robert Rauschenberg installed at Lincoln Center Theatre Caryatid Cavalcade I
14 September 2026
Lincoln Centre Theatre, New York, USA
Robert Rauschenberg’s Caryatid Cavalcade I / ROCI Chile (1985) is now installed on long term loan from the Rauschenberg Foundation in the Christopher Lightfoot Walker Lobby at the Lincoln Centre Theatre in New York.
From 1984 through 1991 Rauschenberg travelled to countries around the world, often those where artistic experimentation had been suppressed, with the intention of sparking cross-cultural dialogue through the creative process. He called the project the Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI), pronounced 'Rocky,' the name of his pet turtle. In each of the eleven countries where ROCI was presented, he took photographs and collected materials which he brought back to his studio to make artworks inspired by his international experiences. He subsequently returned to each country to mount an exhibition of his works.
The titles of Rauschenberg’s works were often inspired by their imagery. Here, 'Caryatid' refers to the classical Greek architectural supports in the form of female figures that feature in the painting. Rauschenberg took the silkscreen source photograph of these caryatids at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Santiago; the actual pillars feature in the museum where Caryatid Cavalcade I eventually hung during the ROCI CHILE exhibition.
