“Rauschenberg in his Pearl Street studio, New York, March 1958,” photograph by Dan Budnik. Works shown from left are “Charlene,” 1954; untitled, circa 1954; and a partial rear view of the second state of “Monogram,” 1955–59, second state 1956–58. Courtesy Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Archives, New York. ©Dan Budnik, all rights reserved
NEW YORK CITY – In 1959, Robert Rauschenberg wrote, “Painting relates to both art and life. Neither can be made. (I try to act in that gap between the two.)” His work in this gap shaped artistic practice for decades to come.
The early 1950s, when Rauschenberg (1925-2008) launched his career, was the heyday of the heroic gestural painting of Abstract Expressionism. Rauschenberg challenged this tradition with an egalitarian approach to materials, bringing the stuff of the everyday world into his art. Working alone and in collaboration with artists, dancers, musicians and writers, he invented new, interdisciplinary modes of artistic practice that set the course for art of the present day. The ethos that permeates Rauschenberg’s work – openness, commitment to dialogue and collaboration and global curiosity – makes him, now more than ever, a touchstone for our troubled times.
“Cy + Relics, Rome,” 1952, printed 1980s; gelatin silver print, 15 by 15 inches. Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, New York. ©2017 Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
“Robert Rauschenberg: Among Friends,” the first Twenty-First Century retrospective of the artist, which is on view through September 17 at the Museum of Modern Art, presents work from six decades of his widely celebrated career in fresh ways, bringing together more than 250 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs and sound and video recordings. Acclaimed artist and filmmaker Charles Atlas collaborated on the exhibition’s design to foreground Rauschenberg’s work with dance and performance. MoMA’s presentation is structured as an “open monograph” – as other artists came into Rauschenberg’s creative life, they come into the exhibition, mapping the exchange of ideas. These figures include Trisha Brown, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Sari Dienes, Jasper Johns, Billy Kluver, Paul Taylor, David Tudor, Cy Twombly, Susan Weil and many others.
The exhibition is organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Tate Modern, London. Organized by Leah Dickerman, the Marlene Hess curator of painting and sculpture, the Museum of Modern Art, and Achim Borchardt-Hume, director of exhibitions at Tate Modern, with Emily Liebert and Jenny Harris, curatorial assistants, department of painting and sculpture, the Museum of Modern Art.
The Museum of Modern Art is at 11 West 53 Street. For general information, www.moma.org or 212-708-9400.
