October 17, 2026 – February 7, 2027
About:
Iconic 20th century American artist Robert Rauschenberg defied categorization. His works combine photography, printmaking, and sculpture. They sit at the crossroads of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Dada. They register as both Modern and Post-modern. Drawn from the Samek Art Museum vault, these works reveal a timely fluidity.
Related Events:
Robert Rauschenberg: No Labels Exhibition Opening Reception
Wednesday, November 4, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Samek Art Museum Downtown, 416 Market Street
Join us in celebrating the opening of our newest exhibition! Enjoy light refreshments, fun conversations, and the appreciation of the artist Robert Rauschenberg.
Curatorial Text:
These artworks are presented here as a trilogy of trilogies. The largest works are three “Autobiography” prints that constitute a self-portrait including the artist’s skeleton from a medical x-ray, his life story written in a spiral the shape of his fingerprint, and him para-skating in the 1963 performance of Pelican, his first choreographed artwork. Next is “Chinese Summerhall,” originally a 100-foot long photograph that stretches a medium usually produced on an intimate scale into a public monument. These three selections from that monolith document contemporary life and commerce in 1980’s China, including a series of Warhol-esque soda bottles, in a nod to Rauschenberg’s association with Pop Art. Then we have Rauschenberg’s offbeat graphic design affirming his interest in diverse art forms like film and dance through his posters and a portrait of avant-garde dance choreographer Merce Cunningham. Lastly, we include the enigmatic print, “Support” that mashes up references to art history and to the artist’s own life.
Rauschenberg was a portraitist, photo journalist, graphic designer, and intellectual polymath. Mercurial in his his life and sexuality, Rauschenberg continues to resist the easy legibility of today’s identity driven art. Nuanced in his down-to-earth art theory and mix-it-up art making, he evades art historical classification. And it could be this very fluidity that makes his art freshly relevant in an era when old labels fall away and new ones arrive with the speed of a hashtag.
Installation Images:
Not yet available.