Robert RAUSCHENBERG

Robert RAUSCHENBERG (1925 - 2008)

Born on 22 October 1925 in Port Arthur (Texas) and died on 12 May 2008 in Captiva (Florida)

Robert Rauschenberg is best known for his work in the 1950s, a period in his career between abstract expressionism and pop art.
His most significant encounter with art occurred during this period while studying at Black Mountain College, where he met Josef Albers and John Cage, with whom he became very close, and later at the Art Students League in New York, where he became friends with Cy Twombly.
During his early years in New York, he attracted attention with his Black Paintings and White Paintings. During this period he met Jasper Johns.
Johns and Rauschenberg became lovers and their respective artistic approaches were strongly influenced by this relationship.

He was an important member of the post-war American avant-garde.
Alongside his colleague and friend Jasper Johns, he created works that were considered neo-Dadaist. He turned away from Abstract Expressionism in the 1950s and anticipated the emergence of Pop Art in the 1960s. Known for his Combines paintings-sculptures that break down the two dimensions of the canvas and his conceptual art masterpiece "Erased de Kooning" (1953), Rauschenberg shows the influence of Marcel Duchamp in his work.

Throughout his career, he continued to incorporate found materials into his paintings.

In 2008, Rauschenberg died of a heart attack on Captive Island, Florida.