Robert Rauschenberg

Borgenicht Gallery, New York
Flow Ace Gallery, Venice, California
Sale: Christie's, London, Post-War and Contemporary Art, 8 February 2007, Lot 66
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

 

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the illustration fails to fully convey the three-dimensional elements apparent in the original. Condition: This work is in good condition. There are very light wear to the four corners and along the outer edges. There are minor rubbing marks to the centre right and lower right. There are very faint media accretions to the lower centre. There is light fading and wear to the collaged elements that has occured over time.
"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."

During the 1960s Robert Rauschenberg revolutionised the picture plane, bringing it into the three dimensional realm through the innovative inclusion and combination of non-traditional material and objects. This fusion of the art object with objects of banal daily life, known as the artist’s seminal series Combines,is largely acknowledged to be one of the most important and influential moments in the history of post-war art; one that revitalised, redefined and expanded the boundaries of art, directly informing the work of the generation of artists that both surrounded and came after Rauschenberg.

Evolving from this early experimentation, and directly referencing Rauschenberg’s earliest Combine works such as Charlene, Lipstick from 1981, bears witness to the fundamental importance of Rauschenberg’s investigation into the limitations of traditional painting throughout his impressive and prolific oeuvre. The works immense scale, highlighted by the found yard stick that runs along the left side of the work, lends itself as a stage on which the artist enacts his multifaceted narrative. Juxtaposing objects- photographs, mass media references, urban detritus, manufactured materials- are punctuated and fused by the hand of the artist through their ambiguous spacing on the picture plane. While initially the elements are seemingly disjointed, Rauschenberg’s repeated image placement that brings together the vertical and horizontal visual axis in an architectural manner, leads the view’s eye in a surprisingly systematic manner. Invited to consider all images, to rearrange and decipher the conflated layers and forms, Rauschenberg encourages the viewer to work through his visual puzzle, extracting and enacting new meaning with each observation.