Kerr Houston, Professor Maryland Institute College of Art and Johns Hopkins University

Rauschenberg Revisited

Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 1:30 pm

Hybrid in-person and online program via Zoom

Celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of Robert Rauschenberg, one of the twentieth century’s most innovative and influential artists, with this look back at his life and artistic career. In this illustrated talk, we’ll consider Rauschenberg’s consequential time at Black Mountain College, his early experiments in what became known as ‘Neo-Dada,’ and his famous Combines, which employed found materials and tested the line between sculpture and painting. We’ll review Leo Steinberg’s well-known analysis of Rauschenberg’s work, explore the artist’s rich relationships with John Cage, Susan Weil, and Jasper Johns, and look closely at his evolving interest in dance and printmaking, And we’ll also mull over what the artist meant when he wrote, in 1959, that “Painting relates to both art and life (I try to act in that gap between the two).” By the end of the talk, then, all attendees should have a clearer sense of Rauschenberg’s influences and accomplishments—just in time for his centennial, on October 22, 2025!

All guests and subscribers free today - lunch will be provided.

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