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Inside MoMA's Major Retrospective Of Robert Rauschenberg's Work
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 23, 2017
Modified May 23, 2017
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Courtesy of MoMA
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 23, 2017
Modified May 23, 2017
Share
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This month the Museum of Modern Art opened their "major retrospective" celebrating the work of late artist Robert Rauschenberg. Housed on their fourth floor, Robert Rauschenberg: Among Friends spans the artist's 60 year career, and features over 250 works across a variety of mediums (painting, sculpture, drawing, prints, photography, sound works, and performance footage). The exhibition also features the work of artists with whom Rauschenberg interacted—from MoMA's press release:
To focus attention on the importance of creative dialogue and collaboration in Rauschenberg’s work, MoMA’s presentation is structured as an “open monograph”—as other artists, dancers, musicians, and writers came into Rauschenberg’s creative life, their work enters the exhibition, mapping the exchange of ideas. These figures, among the most influential in American postwar culture, include Trisha Brown, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Sari Dienes, Morton Feldman, Jasper Johns, Billy Klüver, Paul Taylor, Jean Tinguely, David Tudor, Cy Twombly, Susan Weil, and many others.
Rauschenberg was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and died at the age of 82 in Captiva, Florida, but he lived and worked for many years in New York City, and studied at the Art Students League of New York. He was labeled a Neo-Dadaist, at times questioning any distinction between art and everyday life objects, though he was also considered a "forerunner of American Pop Art," alongside Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns (who he had a romantic relationship with for many years).
An explorer at his core, the exhibition is set up to bring the viewer through mediums, moments and places in Rauschenberg's life and work, "starting with Black Mountain College, near Asheville, North Carolina, then moving to Rauschenberg’s Fulton Street and Pearl Street studios in New York City, and finally to Captiva Island, Florida, where the artist concluded his prolific career." Here's an hour-long BBC documentary to familiarize yourself more with Rauschenberg:
MoMA's exhibit runs through September 17th.
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Robert Rauschenberg
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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