His seminal Neo-Dada work, Erased de Kooning (1953), involved ritualistically erasing an original drawing he had acquired from the famous painter.
Born Milton Ernest Rauschenberg on October 22, 1925 in Port Arthur, Texas, he was drafted into the Navy during World War II where he served as a medical technician in San Diego. After the war, he used the GI Bill to travel to Paris to study at the Académie Julian, where he met his future wife Susan Weil. He and Weil went on to attend Black Mountain College in North Carolina alongside John Cage and Merce Cunningham. Settled in New York in 1949, Rauschenberg began to question the nature of painting through works such as Bed (1955) and Monogram (1955-1959), which used commercial imagery and mass-produced objects. Many of the artist's ideas foresaw the birth of Andy Warhol and Pop Art in the 60s. The artist passed away on May 12, 2008 in Captiva, FL. Today, Rauschenberg's works are held in the collections of the Tate Gallery in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Kunstmuseum Basel.
Investment judgment ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
But how much are his works worth?
Tigerlily [Anagram (A Pun)], 1998
Mixed media (inkjet pigment transfer/polylaminate) 151,1 x 121,3 cm Hammer price: €181.544 ($200.000) Price including charges: €226.930 ($250.000) Estimate: €181.544 – €272.316 ($200.000 – $300.000 ) Christie's , 14/11/2019 New York, United States . Signed and dated 'RAUSCHENBERG 98' lower leftOrigin: Teplitzky & Scott Fine Art, Evergreen, Colorado. Private Collection, Calif. Anon. salt; Christie's, New York, 16 November 2006, lot 234. Pace Gallery, London. Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2011Exposure: São Paulo, Instituto Tomie Ohtake, Robert Rauschenberg, December 2009-February 2010, pp. 122-123 (illustrated).
Red Spinners, 1990
Mixed media (silkscreen ink, acrylic, watercolor, and graphite)/fabric-laminated paper/canvas
Clearing price: €107.332 ($120.000)Price including charges: €134.165 ($150.000) Estimate: €107.332 – €160.998 ($120.000 – $180.000 ) Christie's , 16/05/2019 New York, United States . Signed and dated 'Rauschenberg 90' lower right. Provenance: Eckert Gallery, Naples. Private collection, Sweden. Anon. salt; Christie's New York, 16 November 2006, lot 276; Private collection, New York. Anon. salt; Christie's, New York, 23 September 2014, lot 98. Acquired at the above sale by the present ownerExposure: Zürich, Galerie Jamileh Weber, Robert Rauschenberg, June-July 1991. (85,1 x 103,2 cm).
Up for auction soon:
Tintamarre (Signal), 1980. Mixed media (acrylic, solvent transfer, fabric, paper collage and printed photograph)/panel. 80 x 80cm
Estimate: €59.339 – €83.074 (£50.000 – £70.000) Christie's , 13/02/2020 King Street St. James's SW1Y 6QT London, United Kingdom
Signed and dated Title / versoOrigin: Leo Castelli Gallery, New York. Private Collection, New York. Anon. sale, Christie's New York, 18 November 1997, lot 104. Private Collection, USA (acquired at the above sale). Anon. sale, Christie's New York, 18 May 1999, lot 176. Private Collection, France. Acquired from the above by the present owner
Top Lots
Kennel club (scenarios), 2005. (213 x 303cm). Pigment (transfer)/polylaminate
Clearing price: €1.738.755 (15.000.000 HKD) Price including charges: €2.051.730 (17.700.000 HKD) Estimate: €1.135.986 – €1.367.820 (HKD9.800.000 – HKD11.800.000)Holly International Co.Ltd, 24/11/2019Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Exposure: Faurschou Foundation, 2007.
La Robert Rauschenberg Foundation promotes the legacy of Rauschenberg's life and work. The foundation supports artists, initiatives and institutions who embody the same innovative, inclusive and multidisciplinary approach that Rauschenberg exemplified in both his art and philanthropic efforts.
