BiographyRobert Rauschenberg was an American artist whose Combines—works that merged painting with real-world objects like tires, quilts, and taxidermied animals—were pivotal in bridging Abstract Expressionism and the emergence of Pop Art and Conceptualism. Influenced by his time at Black Mountain College with John Cage and Merce Cunningham, his practice was restlessly experimental, encompassing printmaking, performance, photography, and large-scale installations. He won the Golden Lion at the 1964 Venice Biennale, a watershed moment that shifted the art world's center of gravity to America.
