Robert Rauschenberg's Works in New York and California

Artists drag other parts of society into a confrontation with the unknown.
- Robert Rauschenberg

Works by Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) are currently on exhibit at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California and the Gladstone Gallery in New York.

 

The focus of each exhibit is different, as are the subjects and medium of Rauschenberg’s works. Rauschenberg combined images found in newspapers, magazines, movies, advertising, personal snapshots, found objects, paint and adhesives to create works that explore the world around us and his own personal world.

 

The exhibit at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, titled Robert Rauschenberg Autobiography: Works from the Collection features all works by Rauschenberg in the museum’s collection, many of which are on view for the first time.

 

The show is named after a large three-part tryptic, titled Autobiography, made in 1968, that is just one of the works on view for the first time. 

 

The exhibit will be on view through November 3, 2024.

 

The show at the Gladstone Gallery is a viewing of Rauschenberg’s Arcanum series, done in the 1970s, which focuses on the mysteries of the physical and spiritual worlds. Arcanum is derived from the Latin arcanus meaning  secret or hidden place. Like the rest of his body of work, that made him one of the most influential artists in America, the Arcanum series combines images that often appear to be disparate, and ask the viewer to observe the work, as a whole, with fresh eyes.

 

Much of Rauschenberg’s work blends, not only different materials, but also the esoteric and the mundane. “I really feel sorry for people who think things like soap dishes or Coke bottles are ugly because they’re surrounded by things like that all day long, and it must make them miserable.” he said.

 

Rauschenberg pushed the traditional boundaries of art, and opened up vast possibilities of study and exploration for the artists who came after him.

 

LA Uncovered #10, done in 1998, is an example of Rauschenberg’s special way of looking at a subject and getting the viewer to explore a subject in a new light. It is available at Surovek Gallery.

 

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October 10, 2024