Featured image: Robert Rauschenberg working on a metal painting in his Laika Lane studio, Captiva, Florida, 1989. Photo: © Gianfranco Gorgoni.
Robert Rauschenberg, Offset lithograph 25 x 26 inches (63.5 x 66 cm) From an edition of 200, published by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, produced by Ivy Hill through the auspices of Universal Limited Art Editions, West Islip, New York.
Captiva Rentals, 4-18-15, Captiva Island: The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation announces new gallery representation as part of a strategic plan to advance the legacy of Rauschenberg’s life, work, and artistic philosophy.
Since acquiring the assets of Rauschenberg’s estate in 2012, the Foundation has successfully expanded the public’s access to Rauschenberg’s artwork by placing seminal pieces in the collections of major museums across the United States, including the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). In concert with a 2016/17 retrospective co-organized by Tate Modern and MoMA, which travels to SFMOMA, the Foundation has selected three international galleries to represent the artist’s work: Pace Gallery (New York, London, Hong Kong, and Beijing); Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac (Salzburg and Paris); and Galeria Luisa Strina (São Paulo).
This new representation is global in scope, but local in function, ensuring that the artist’s market is reflective of Rauschenberg’s unique and extraordinary oeuvre. As a complement to the museum shows, each gallery is planning solo presentations: an exhibition of late works at Pace (New York) in Fall 2015 to commemorate Rauschenberg’s 90th birthday; a show at Ropac (Paris) in October 2016; and the artist’s first gallery exhibition in South America at Luisa Strina. Pace and Ropac also will present Rauschenberg’s work at Art Basel (Switzerland) in June 2015.
Robert Rauschenberg, Poster for Guggenheim Retrospective 1997 Offset lithograph 37 3:4 x 24 inches (95.9 x 61 cm) RRF 97.E015.
The Foundation’s mission is to preserve and promote Rauschenberg’s creative output through various activities from museum exhibitions, research and scholarship to philanthropic support of artists and organizations, and its artist residency program in Captiva, Florida. Christy MacLear, the Foundation’s Executive Director, explains: “The Foundation’s focus is on three strategic areas for Rauschenberg’s art: increasing access to the artist’s work via museums and institutions, encouraging scholarship among students, and preparing our archives to produce a catalogue raisonné. Partnering with these three galleries will cement Rauschenberg’s presence on the global stage—from New York to São Paulo, to Beijing and beyond.”
With the Foundation’s global multi-gallery representation, Rauschenberg’s audience will continue to grow and thrive across four key regions—the United States, South America, Europe, and Asia. Pace Gallery, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, and Galeria Luisa Strina are each uniquely suited to represent Rauschenberg’s work and support the Foundation in promoting his vision. Having exhibited Rauschenberg’s work many times over the past 26 years, Pace possesses a deep understanding of the artist’s market as well as strong relationships with his core collector base. Thaddaeus Ropac, a leading European gallery with international reach—who exhibited Rauschenberg’s work in the early 90s through Leo Castelli—has successfully worked with European museums to mount exhibitions of their artists and place work in permanent collections. Luisa Strina will bolster Rauschenberg’s South American presence through her extensive connections with museum and collecting communities in Brazil and throughout the South American region. Together, the galleries will promote a broader understanding of Rauschenberg’s creative process among collectors, curators, and the public.
David White, the Foundation’s Senior Curator who worked with Rauschenberg for over 30 years, added: “It was always invigorating to embark on new adventures with Bob and his art. I’m excited to participate with these galleries in developing exhibitions that demonstrate Bob’s amazing use of images, materials and techniques.”
