Saturday, February 17, 2007
Robert Rauschenberg: Cardboards and Related Pieces
Thirteen years after Robert Rauschenberg exhibited his seminal "Combines" at the Leo Castelli Gallery, he created the first of what came to be known as the "Cardboards." Despite his fame as an artist, these pieces are virtually unknown. Because of this, the Menil Collection has mounted an exhibition of these works whose humble materials belie its importance in Rauschenberg's development as an artist. Formally, the works recall the constructions of Kurt Schwitters and the boxes of Donald Judd. Rauschenberg created these works after moving from New York to the relatively rural locale of Captiva Island, Florida, where he has remained since. According to Rauschenberg, he "was trying to wean [himself] from urban imagery...Cardboard boxes were everywhere." Gone also was the wild color palette that showed up in the combines. Rauschenberg used only the boxes in a deconstructed form, with the original printing from their previous life as shipping containers for various products still visible. This catalog also serves as a de facto catalogue raisonné for the cardboards and related pieces. The back section of the book is structured as such. It is 152 pages and available in both hard and softcover versions. ISBN:978-0-939594-63-4, Price: HC $50.00, SC $35.00.
¶ 2/17/2007 09:30:00 AM 
Thirteen years after Robert Rauschenberg exhibited his seminal "Combines" at the Leo Castelli Gallery, he created the first of what came to be known as the "Cardboards." Despite his fame as an artist, these pieces are virtually unknown. Because of this, the Menil Collection has mounted an exhibition of these works whose humble materials belie its importance in Rauschenberg's development as an artist. Formally, the works recall the constructions of Kurt Schwitters and the boxes of Donald Judd. Rauschenberg created these works after moving from New York to the relatively rural locale of Captiva Island, Florida, where he has remained since. According to Rauschenberg, he "was trying to wean [himself] from urban imagery...Cardboard boxes were everywhere." Gone also was the wild color palette that showed up in the combines. Rauschenberg used only the boxes in a deconstructed form, with the original printing from their previous life as shipping containers for various products still visible. This catalog also serves as a de facto catalogue raisonné for the cardboards and related pieces. The back section of the book is structured as such. It is 152 pages and available in both hard and softcover versions. ISBN:978-0-939594-63-4, Price: HC $50.00, SC $35.00.
¶ 2/17/2007 09:30:00 AM
