Milton Ernest “Robert” Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008) was a painter and graphic designer who anticipated the Pop Art movement in his early works. He was known for creating Combines, the term he used to describe his artwork that incorporated elements of painting and sculpture as he tested the boundary between art and everyday objects such as clothing, furniture, printed matter, and even taxidermied animals.
In his nearly 60-year career, the Fort Arthur, Texas, native received numerous awards, including the International Grand Prize in Painting (1964) and the National Medal of Arts (1993). Rauschenberg worked and lived in New York City and, from 1970, in Captiva, Fla.
Rauschenberg’s approach has been referred to as Neo-Dadaist, a term that has also been applied to artist Jasper Johns. He studied at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where he studied under Josef Albers, one of the founders of the German Bauhaus. Rauschenberg described himself as “Albers’ dunce.” He also studied at the Art Students League in New York.
