Rauschenberg (Third Edition): Art and Life

by Mary Lynn Kotz

Iconoclastic, generous, inventive, impulsive, sensitive, gregarious, prodigious: these are just some of the words to describe Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008) and the art he made over his career. From the age of 38, when he received the grand prize at the Venice Biennale in 1964, Rauschenberg was a pivotal figure in the creative explosion of art following WWII. This revised edition of the classic biography of the artist adds a new chapter covering the significant moments in the final years of his life, and offers an in-depth look at his legacy and continued influence on the postmodern art world. It includes new photography and interviews with friends, colleagues, critics, and art historians.
 
Rauschenberg is a richly impressive and highly readable portrait of the artist. The book shows the astonishing dexterity and range of Rauschenberg’s art even as an emerging artist, the creation of his now famous combines, his eagerness to bridge art and technology, the establishment of the Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange, and his final collaborative work: the Lotus Series with Universal Limited Art Editions.