Discover Delmarva Arts: Remembering Robert Rauschenberg
EASTON, Md. — A 100-foot photograph, a small town, and a story that connects China, the Eastern Shore, and one of the most influential artists of the 20th century — A new exhibit at the Academy Art Museum in Easton is celebrating the legacy of artist Robert Rauschenberg, and a rare work that hasn’t been seen in nearly 40 years.
“It’s the first time this particular piece has ever been fully unfurled. There’s five of these 100-foot scrolls: one is at The Guggenheim, one is in Florida — we got this one from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and it’s the first time that it’s been all the way pulled open, so it’s really almost like an unveiling,” Executive Director of the Academy Art Museum Charlotte Potter Kasic said.
The focal point of the exhibit — Rauschenberg’s piece Chinese Summerhall, is the product of his 1982 sojourn to China.
“You can think of it as visual arts diplomacy. At that time, China was not open to the west, and he was one of the first artists to actually go there and make work about China and try to make connections through artwork of this nature. While he was there, he was shooting photographs with a Hasselblad, and when he came back, he took those photographs and made individual prints. Then he started collaging them together to create this 100-foot scroll which was sort of inspired by Chinese art,” Director of Education Matt Moore said.
While Rauschenberg was the visionary of the analog print, the project was made possible by Donald Saff and George Holtser, both residents of the Eastern Shore.
“They basically made artists’ dreams come true. And so, they could produce things technically that artists couldn’t necessarily do,” Moore said.
Rauschenberg’s legacy still lives on today — with many artists emulating his knack for using objects and multiple mediums in his work.
“He was considered the artist that brought art back to the people, showing people their own life reflected back at them,” Potter Kasic said.
“It was kind of branching off of abstract expressionism, where it’s not just paint on a canvas — It’s sort of paint and all kinds of other things merged together to make art,” Moore said.
Rauschenberg 100: New Connections will be open until May 3rd.
