Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

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Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

Fostering the artistic and philanthropic legacy of artist Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008).
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05/08/2026

With all eyes on the “Costume Art” theme of this week’s Met Gala to benefit the , we revisit the intersection of art and fashion as embodied by in his “Collage” collection, and Rauschenberg’s long-standing fascination with fashion design and the use of fabric as a medium for his work. Initially a fashion major at Kansas City Art Institute in 1947, Rauschenberg threw himself into sketching designs and taking art history courses.

Swipe through to view Wu’s fresh interpretation of several of Rauschenberg’s works, and click the link in bio to revisit our story, “A Passion for Fashion: 100 Years of Rauschenberg's Fabric Artworks and Costume Designs.”

Images 1, 3, 5, 7: Jason Wu Spring 2026 show, Agger Fish, Brooklyn, New York, September 2025. Photos: Eli Schmidt

Image 2: Rauschenberg, “Cat Paws (Airport Suite),” 1974. Photo: James Nelson

Image 4: Rauschenberg, “Groundings (Hoarfrost),” 1975 (detail). Photo: Ron Amstutz

Image 6 Rauschenberg, “Sulphur Bank (Hoarfrost),” 1975 (detail). Photo: Ron Amstutz

Image 8: Rauschenberg, “Platter (Airport Suite),” 1974. Photo: James Nelson

05/06/2026

In 1963, Robert Rauschenberg was incorrectly cited as a choreographer in a program for the Pop Festival in Washington, D.C.. Rather than issuing a correction, the artist embraced the error by creating his first work of choreography to be performed as part of a showcase by the Judson Dance Theater, of which Trisha Brown was a founding member. “Pelican” featured Rauschenberg himself among the original cast, circling the performance space on skates and bicycles while wearing billowing parachutes.

Exactly sixty years after its last performance in 1966, “Pelican” returns to the stage on May 18th through an artistic collaboration between and . The work, featuring former Merce Cunningham dancers Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Reiner alongside New York City Ballet soloist Ashley Hod, was reimagined by former Trisha Brown dancer Tara Lorenzen in Rauschenberg’s Captiva studio, drawing on original photographs by Peter Moore, archival video footage, and Rauschenberg’s notes.

Click the link in bio to purchase tickets to the “Pelican” Gala on May 18th at Xanadu Roller Arts in Brooklyn, and enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how the reimagined work came together.

05/01/2026

As the art world looks forward to next week’s preview of the 61st Venice Biennale, we congratulate alumni/ae of our Captiva Residency program participating in this year’s exhibition, “In Minor Keys,” curated by Koyo Kouoh. 62 years have passed since Rauschenberg won the Grand Prize for Painting at the 1964 , and we applaud each of these artists for their contributions and for carrying on Rauschenberg’s legacy of generosity, activism, and collaboration. Read more about them via the link in bio.

Laurie Anderson (Photo: Sage Sohier)

Alvaro Barrington (Photo: Mark Poucher)

Magdalena Campos-Pons (Photo: Mark Poucher)

Dawn DeDeaux (Photo: Laurie Lambrecht)

Adrienne Edwards (Photo: Bryan Derballa)

Nina Katchadourian (Photo: Mark Poucher)

Park McArthur (Photo: Mark Poucher)

Tuan Andrew Nguyen andrew.nguyen (Photo: Still from film by Greg Poole, produced by James Cohan)

Kambui Olujimi (Photo: Mark Poucher)

Ebony G Patterson (Photo: Mark Poucher)

Cauleen Smith (Photo: Mark Poucher)

04/29/2026

On this , the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation reflects on the collaborations between Rauschenberg, the legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham, and composer John Cage as covered by Amy Weiss-Meyer in The Atlantic last week.

Read "Robert Rauschenberg's Penchant for Invention and Spectacle" here: https://bit.ly/4mYAwCb

Image 1: “The Ancient Incident (Kabal American Zephyr)," 1981 (detail). Photo: Ron Amstutz

Image 2: John Cage, Merce Cunningham, and Robert Rauschenberg, 1964. Photo: Douglas H. Jeffrey

Image 3: Robert Rauschenberg and Merce Cunningham with Rauschenberg’s 1981 sculpture “The Ancient Incident (Kabal American Zephyr)” at his Captiva studio, 2007. Photo: Laurence Getford

04/27/2026

In 1987, Rauschenberg told the art historian Barbara Rose: “I want my paintings to be reflections of life, and life can’t be stopped.”

Don’t miss your chance to see “Collection in Focus | Robert Rauschenberg: Life Can’t Be Stopped” , now in its last week. In celebration of Rauschenberg’s centennial, the exhibition brings together works from across Rauschenberg’s career to demonstrate his relentless pursuit of experimentation. It also celebrates the artist’s long history with the Guggenheim. In 1997, the museum presented a landmark retrospective exhibition of his work which then traveled to in Bilbao. For this second venue, Rauschenberg created a painting-–featuring transferred imagery from his own photographs taken in Bilbao—to be included in the show. “Bilbao Scraps [Anagram (A Pun)]” celebrates this history as it is included in the current exhibition at the museum, along with several other paintings that were also included in the 1997 retrospective. In fact, the current show is organized by the Guggenheim’s Joan Young, who also worked on Rauschenberg’s show back in 1997!

Swipe to see some now and then shots of the artworks in the exhibition, and don’t miss your chance to see them in person. The show will be open through Sunday, May 3rd.

Image 1: Installation view, “Collection in Focus | Robert Rauschenberg: Life Can’t Be Stopped,” October 10, 2025–May 3, 2026, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Photo: Ariel Ione Williams © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York

Image 2: Rauschenberg, "Bilbao Scraps [Anagram (A Pun)]," 1997

Image 3: Installation view, 2026. Photo: Williams

Image 4: Installation view of "Robert Rauschenberg: A Retrospective" exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1997

Image 5: Robert Rauschenberg, Untitled, 1963

Image 6: Installation view, 1997

04/24/2026

Opening tomorrow: Robert Rauschenberg’s first retrospective in Austria!

“Robert Rauschenberg: Image and Gesture” at .krems highlights the interplay between photographic imagery and gestural painting across Rauschenberg’s career. Featuring early examples of the artist’s Combines (1954–64), Silkscreen Paintings (1962–64), and transfer drawings (1952/1958-69), alongside mature examples from the Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI) project of 1984–91, paintings on metal and sculptures of assembled metal from the 1980s and 1990s, the exhibition culminates with Rauschenberg’s innovative inkjet transfer technique from the 1990s and early 2000s. The exhibition will also feature two monumentally scaled works: “Bank Job (Spread)” from 1979 and “Ten Yard Sale [Anagram (A Pun)]” from two decades later (1999). True to its title, the latter work is just one foot shy of ten yards long.

Image 1: Robert Rauschenberg’s Combine “Vitamin,” 1960/1968. Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

Image 2: Rauschenberg’s Silkscreen Painting “Tree Frog,” 1964. Museum Ludwig, Cologne

Image 3: Rauschenberg’s transfer drawing, Untitled, 1968. Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

Image 4: Rauschenberg, “Bank Job (Spread),” 1979. Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

Image 5: Rauschenberg, “Onoto Snare / ROCI VENEZUELA,” 1985. Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

Image 6: Rauschenberg, “Crawfish Village Summer Glut I,” 1987. The Heidi Horten Collection

Image 7: Rauschenberg, “Ten Yard Sale [Anagram (A Pun)],” 1999. Private collection

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day! In 1992, Rauschenberg wrote: “Now is the only time we have. We need all of the existing living things to attempt with devout attention and dedication to if not reverse this certain death, to turn back into life.”

The safekeeping of the environment and the notion of individual responsibility for the welfare of life on earth was a longstanding concern of Rauschenberg, and this notion would inform his art and activism throughout his life.

wrote these words and designed a print for the UN Earth Summit in 1992. Earlier that year, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) launched the Earth Pledge, described as “an urgent call to action to save Planet Earth.” To raise funds for and generate awareness of UNCED, the Earth Pledge, and the Earth Summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro the following June, Rauschenberg donated the lithograph “Last Turn—Your Turn” (1991), published as an edition of 200 by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Appearing above the images of an infant and the figure of Atlas supporting the weight of the world are the words from the Earth Pledge, inscribed in the artist’s handwriting: “I pledge to make the earth a secure and hospitable home for present and future generations.”

This project built on his earlier engagement with climate and environmental awareness efforts – such as designing the poster for the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Soliciting support from both Democratic and Republican leaders, Earth Day was conceived as a “national teach-in” to bring public awareness to the threat of global air and water pollution.

04/21/2026

Closing on Sunday, April 26th, “Robert Rauschenberg and Asia” at in Hong Kong is the first exhibition of its kind to explore the conceptual, formal, and material influences of the continent on the artist’s practice. Share his encounters with Japan, India, China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, and Malaysia through the artworks they inspired. The Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI, 1984–91) paid homage to the Merce Cunningham Dance Company world tour of 1964 (when the artist traveled as costume and set designer), extending its contact with new audiences through the art event to the promotion of peace through dialogue.

Images 1-3: Installation views of “Robert Rauschenberg and Asia” at M+. Photos: Dan Leung (images 1 and 2) and Wilson Lam (image 3)

04/19/2026

Only one week left to visit “Rauschenberg Sculpture” at ! The exhibition, closing on Sunday, April 26th, presents highlights from Rauschenberg’s three-dimensional practice in a wide range of materials and explores myriad themes throughout his work, including his use of found materials, the intersection between art and science, and the relationship between visual and performance art. Describing the use of discarded objects in his art, Rauschenberg declared: “I like the history of objects. I like humanitarian reportage.”

Images 1-4: Installation views of “Rauschenberg Sculpture” at The Nasher Sculpture Center. Photos: Kevin Todora

04/17/2026

This year, several dance companies in New York including , , and have brought “Firebird” 🐦‍🔥 back to the stage. In honor of Igor Stravinsky’s iconic music, we’re sharing Rauschenberg’s “Firebird” from 1998. To make this painting, Rauschenberg transferred imagery from inkjet prints, often from his own photographs. The imagery in the upper right features a fire engine from the station around the corner from the artist’s New York home and studio.

Images 1-3. Robert Rauschenberg, “Firebird [Anagram (A Pun)],” 1998 (and details)

Image 4: Source imagery photograph taken in New York City, 1997. Photo: Robert Rauschenberg.

04/13/2026

in 1998, “TIME” magazine featured a cover designed by Robert Rauschenberg. For the issue focused on “Leaders & Revolutionaries,” the artist featured images of Sir Winston Churchill, Lady Clementine Spencer Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Vladimir Lenin, Mohandas Gandhi, Mao Tse-Tung, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Margaret Thatcher.

This is one of seven different covers Rauschenberg designed for , the first of which was in 1986, and the last of which commemorated the one year anniversary of 9/11 in 2002.

Image 1: Robert Rauschenberg, Cover for “TIME” Magazine–April 13, 1998

Image 2: Rauschenberg, Original art for “TIME” Magazine Cover April 13, 1998. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

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