NO SHOW MUSEUM

2nd

i Robert Rauschenberg

Erased de Kooning Drawing, 1953

Rauschenberg about Erased De Kooning.

Erased de Kooning Drawing, 1953

* 1925 in Port Arthur, Texas. † 2008 auf Captiva Island, Florida, USA

American artist

Known for: Paving the way for Pop Art of the 1960s

Art historical context: Neo-Dada, Abstract Expressionism, Conceptual Art

American artist Robert Rauschenberg is considered a representative of American Abstract Expressionism and an important forerunner of Pop Art.

Exhibited works

White Painting (Three Panels), 1951. GF \| A		Oil on canvas, 3 parts: 183 x 274 cm. In 1951, Rauschenberg again took up Malevich's reductionist approach and created a whole series of monochrome paintings, which he proclaimed to be the "end of painting." His seven White Paintings are all painted with white wall color and show nothing but a white surface – no figures, colors or contours are recognizable. Rauschenberg's primary goal was to create a "pure" painting that looks as if it had been produced without the involvement of an artist. These works were first shown to the public in 1953. The works in this series may explicitly be painted over or reproduced, which does not necessarily require the artist's presence. What constitutes the art here is not the actual execution of the piece, but its underlying concept.

White Painting (Two Panels), 1951. GF \| A		Oil on canvas, 2 parts: 183 x 244 cm.

Untitled (Matte Black Triptych), 1951. GF \| A		Oil on canvas, 3 parts: 183 x 274 cm. In this same period, Rauschenberg created his Black Painting series (1951–1953), where he painted one layer of matte black over a shiny layer of black. The two series deny the viewer the opportunity to read something else into them, other than what is there – that is nothing, just a single, black surface.

Untitled (Glossy Black Painting), 1951. GF \| A		Oil and paper on canvas, 182 x 134 cm)

Erased de Kooning Drawing, 1953. 2nd \| C		64.1 × 55.2 × 1.3 cm. In 1953, Rauschenberg visited his famous colleague Willem de Kooning in his studio and asked him for a drawing, because he wanted to erase an "important work." De Kooning agreed and selected a work, which he stressed he would miss. He gave it to Rauschenberg, who took several weeks to erase it. The work is a milestone in the history of conceptual art because it torpedoed the conventional concept of art challenging the viewer to ponder the nature of art. Can the destruction of another artist's work be a creative act? And, if so, would it still be art if Rauschenberg was not a famous artist himself?

This is a portrait of Iris Clert if I say so, 1961. BF \| B		As a contribution to a portrait exhibition in 1961, Robert Rauschenberg sent a telegram to Iris Clert Gallery in Paris with the words: "This is a portrait of Iris Clert if I say so."

Links Rauschenbergfoundation.org \| Tate \| MoMA \| G agosian Gallery \| Pace Gallery \| G uggenheim Museum \| F ilm \| F urther Informations 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 Credits All reproductions © Robert Rauschenberg / 2014, ProLitteris, Zurich

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1st

A

B

The Art of Absence

The Art of The Imperceptible, The Unseen, and The Hidden

The Art of Minimalism

GF

A

B

The Art of Minimalism

The Art of Omission

The Art of Saying Nothing

BF

A

B

The Art of Saying Nothing

The Art of Pure Imagination

White Painting (Three Panels), 1951. GF \| A		Oil on canvas, 3 parts: 183 x 274 cm. In 1951, Rauschenberg again took up Malevich's reductionist approach and created a whole series of monochrome paintings, which he proclaimed to be the "end of painting." His seven White Paintings are all painted with white wall color and show nothing but a white surface – no figures, colors or contours are recognizable. Rauschenberg's primary goal was to create a "pure" painting that looks as if it had been produced without the involvement of an artist. These works were first shown to the public in 1953. The works in this series may explicitly be painted over or reproduced, which does not necessarily require the artist's presence. What constitutes the art here is not the actual execution of the piece, but its underlying concept.

White Painting (Two Panels), 1951. GF \| A		Oil on canvas, 2 parts: 183 x 244 cm.

Untitled (Matte Black Triptych), 1951. GF \| A		Oil on canvas, 3 parts: 183 x 274 cm. In this same period, Rauschenberg created his Black Painting series (1951–1953), where he painted one layer of matte black over a shiny layer of black. The two series deny the viewer the opportunity to read something else into them, other than what is there – that is nothing, just a single, black surface.

Untitled (Glossy Black Painting), 1951. GF \| A		Oil and paper on canvas, 182 x 134 cm)

Erased de Kooning Drawing, 1953. 2nd \| C		64.1 × 55.2 × 1.3 cm. In 1953, Rauschenberg visited his famous colleague Willem de Kooning in his studio and asked him for a drawing, because he wanted to erase an "important work." De Kooning agreed and selected a work, which he stressed he would miss. He gave it to Rauschenberg, who took several weeks to erase it. The work is a milestone in the history of conceptual art because it torpedoed the conventional concept of art challenging the viewer to ponder the nature of art. Can the destruction of another artist's work be a creative act? And, if so, would it still be art if Rauschenberg was not a famous artist himself?

This is a portrait of Iris Clert if I say so, 1961. BF \| B		As a contribution to a portrait exhibition in 1961, Robert Rauschenberg sent a telegram to Iris Clert Gallery in Paris with the words: "This is a portrait of Iris Clert if I say so."

Links Rauschenbergfoundation.org \| Tate \| MoMA \| G agosian Gallery \| Pace Gallery \| G uggenheim Museum \| F ilm \| F urther Informations 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 Credits All reproductions © Robert Rauschenberg / 2014, ProLitteris, Zurich