Robert Rauschenberg

Eckert Fine Arts, Naples, Florida
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate although the overall tonality is slightly softer in the original work where there are more green hues to the areas of blue. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There are tiny artist's pin-holes to all four corners and there is a soft undulation to the sheet. Archivally hinged to matt board, this work is framed under Plexiglass in a silver metal frame. Not examined out of the frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

What interests me is the here and now.

-  Robert Rauschenberg

Begun in 1995, Rauschenberg's Anagram series describes the artist's "story of the world in the last few years of the twentieth century through imagery collected from his travels. As in verbal anagrams, he rearranged his images to 'discover a hidden message,' one that brings the ordinary, the unique, and the universal into his own collaged-image patterns. As always, though the photographs record his experience, Rauschenberg left it up to the viewer to supply the narrative, to make a personal connection among the images the artist brought to paper." (Mary Lynn Kotz as cited in the press release for Deitch Projects' September 2006 exhibition Songs for Sale)

In the same vein as his seminal 'Combines', the complex visual menagerie of appropriated images displayed in Parade concocts a rich tapestry of interrelated yet autonomous vignettes.  The title itself implies a sequence of images 'parading' before the viewer, to be digested and interpreted in a variety of ways, much as anagrams come to mind in the word game.  The saturated colors and high-resolution reproductions are a result of a technological development within Rauschenberg's studio - the introduction of the Iris printer which uses vegetable dyes to produce digital color prints of his photographs.  The "here and now" philosophy of the artist allows him to create ever relevant works using a wide range of artistic processes and tools, including the latest advancements in computer technology.