The Museum of the City of New York is presenting a comprehensive exhibition titled "Robert Rauschenberg's New York: Pictures from the Real World" to commemorate the centennial of the influential American artist Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008). Developed in partnership with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, this dynamic exhibition explores Rauschenberg's groundbreaking integration of photography and found objects into his artistic practice, highlighting his profound engagement with the real world and his complex relationship with New York City.
Rauschenberg is widely recognized as one of the most influential artists of postwar New York, whose irreverent approach to art-making fundamentally challenged conventional practices and reshaped the art world both in New York and internationally. His artistic philosophy centered on a deep desire to incorporate the tangible world around him into his creative work. He consistently gathered materials and inspiration from his immediate surroundings, frequently bringing found objects and images sourced or reproduced from magazines and newspapers into his paintings and sculptures.
While Rauschenberg is well-known for his use of found imagery, the exhibition emphasizes a crucial but often overlooked aspect of his practice: his work as a photographer with a bold creative vision. This photographic work represents an essential component of his artistic output that serves as the primary focus of the current exhibition. The show demonstrates that Rauschenberg was not merely a user of existing imagery but an active creator of visual content through his camera.
The exhibition is thoughtfully organized into three distinct sections that trace the evolution of Rauschenberg's photographic practice and its dynamic interplay with painting, sculpture, and assemblage. The first section, "Early Photographs," showcases his initial explorations in the medium, featuring largely intimate portraits and formal experiments with elements such as framing, light and shadow, and the flattening of the picture plane. These early works reveal his developing understanding of photography as both a documentary and artistic medium.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is the section titled "In & Out City Limits," which presents works from Rauschenberg's ambitious three-year photographic survey conducted across the United States from 1979 to 1981. This extensive project was originally conceived decades earlier when Rauschenberg was a student at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, demonstrating his long-term commitment to documenting American life and culture. His New York photographs from this project reveal his particular fascination with the signs and symbols of human culture, finding artistic value even in the most humble or discarded remnants of urban life.
These photographs collectively emphasize Rauschenberg's observational rigor and his constant effort to capture and channel the fleeting, ineffable moments of everyday life into his artistic work. They reveal a deep sensitivity to the social landscape and an ability to find beauty and meaning in the overlooked aspects of city life. His approach to street photography demonstrates the same innovative spirit that characterized his work in other media.
The third section, "Photography in Painting," presents a carefully selected group of works created between 1963 and 1994 that combine Rauschenberg's New York City photographs with images taken around the world. These works illustrate how he re-contextualized his photographic imagery through his innovative creative process, integrating his own photographs into larger artistic compositions that blur the boundaries between different media and geographical locations.
The exhibition is part of a larger initiative called "Rauschenberg 100," a year-long series of global activities and exhibitions honoring the artist's centennial. This celebration seeks to reexamine Rauschenberg through a contemporary lens, highlighting his enduring influence on generations of artists and advocates for social progress. The centennial programming is designed to allow both audiences familiar with Rauschenberg and those encountering his work for the first time to form fresh perspectives about his artistic contributions.
Rauschenberg's strong conviction that engagement with art can nurture people's sensibilities as individuals, community members, and citizens was fundamental to his artistic ethos. The centennial celebrations aim to activate the artist's legacy by promoting cross-disciplinary explorations and creating opportunities for critical dialogue about his work and its continued relevance. More information about centennial programming and updates can be found at rauschenberg100.org.
The exhibition has received substantial financial backing from multiple sources. Lead funding for "Robert Rauschenberg's New York: Pictures from the Real World" has been provided by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, with additional support from Matt & Marisa Brown, Ronay & Richard Menschel, Jill & Peter Kraus, Elizabeth Belfer, and Gillian & Robert Steel. The exhibition also receives support from public funds through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, as well as from the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
