Robert Rauschenberg, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, died Monday in Florida at age 82.
He will be remembered not just as a great artist, but an inventor who created a new visual language that stirred the art world in the 1950s.
Rauschenberg was known for his "combines" -- artworks which combined painting and sculpture and often everyday objects -- that earned him a reputation as a pioneer.
He was also known for incorporating photographs in his works, including memorably pictures of President John F. Kennedy.
Rauschenberg's famous work "The Bed" (1955), on display in New York's Museum of Modern Art, was created with a quilt, toothpaste, and fingernail polish because he had no money for a canvas.
"The whole amazing idea that you could take something that is supposed to be flat or horizontal like a bed, and turn it into something that has the format of a painting, and not only do that but dare to use the covering and the pillow that a real bed would have as you pour paint on -- just a gigantic step," said MoMA curator Ann Temkin.
Rauschenberg was born in Texas in 1925, and came to New York in the late 1940s.
Despite his unorthodox ideas, he found early success, and collaborated with other rule-breakers like musician John Cage and choreographer Merce Cunningham.
“It really seemed like he was approaching art with an absolutely fresh take on what it is you can do to be an artist. And that kind of attitude and that kind of questioning of what can be is something that has been enormously influential over these last 50 years,” said Temkin.
For Rauschenberg, his art reflected how he viewed the world.
"I think it’s an acceptance of the normalacy of everything, everyday around us and I can't imagine not appreciating it," said Rauschenberg.
The artist famously said he wanted to occupy the gap between art and life, and more than five decades of work equally reflect both.
He maintained homes in both New York City and Florida.
In his last TV interview at an exhibiton of his work in January, Rauschenberg told NY1 he still enjoyed the act of creating.
"I've met some artists who say they think it's a job. I think it's a joy," said Rauschenberg.
May 13, 2008
Pop Artist Robert Rauschenberg Dead At 82
Stephanie Simon Stephanie Simon covers the arts for NY1 News.
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