Robert Rauschenberg

Robert Rauschenberg (1925, Port Arthur – 2008, Captiva Island) was a groundbreaking American artist who helped shape the Pop Art movement.

Originally named Milton Rauschenberg, he was raised in a strict Christian family. His artistic journey began with museum visits at eighteen, and he realized his drawing talent during his service in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1945. Rauschenberg studied at the Académie Julian in Paris in 1947, then at Black Mountain College in North Carolina from 1948 to 1950, where he learned from Bauhaus teacher Josef Albers. He later graduated from the Art Students League of New York in 1952.

His first Combine was created in 1953, and his iconic work Bed (1955) incorporated his own bedding due to financial constraints. Rauschenberg rejected individualistic expressionism, focusing instead on art that engaged both the artist and viewer equally.

Transitioning from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art, Rauschenberg became known for his assemblages, and was also a painter, sculptor, photographer, performer, and choreographer. He drew inspiration from Andy Warhol, John Cage, and Jasper Johns, and had notable relationships with artists Cy Twombly and Jasper Johns.

At Kunsthandel Meijer, we feature works by Robert Rauschenberg. For more information or to view his art, please contact us.