ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG Most Visible parts of the sea, 1979

One of the better-known artists of the 20th century is American mixed-media artist Robert Rauschenberg. Recipient of the National Medal of Arts, as well as countless other awards and accolades, he is considered one of the most influential artists of the modern era. He worked in a variety of media from silk to steel and also designed sets and costumes for dance and performance art, but Robert Rauschenberg is probably best known for his "combines", mixed-media works that used found objects and collage techniques to create a combination of painting and sculpture. The most famous of these pieces is Monogram, in which an automobile tire encircles the body of a stuffed goat, all of which sits atop a painted base. Although most of his work is generally categorized as Abstract Expressionism, Robert Rauschenberg has also been called a "Neo-Dadaist", as his use of found objects that are subsequently declared to be art is very reminiscent of the "readymades" of Dadaist Marcel Duchamp, who was known to simply add his signature to an object as prosaic as a urinal, declaring that it was art because he said so. Along these lines, Robert Rauschenberg once submitted as his entry to a 1961 portrait exhibition at the Gallerie Iris Clert in Paris a telegram that rather cheekily stated, "This is a portrait of Iris Clert if I say so." Initially crumpled up and thrown away, the telegram was subsequently retrieved and exhibited in the show. Less

One of the better-known artists of the 20th century is American mixed-media artist Robert Rauschenberg. Recipient of the National Medal of Arts, as well as countless other awards and accolades, he is considered one of the most influential artists of More