Artist Rooms: Robert Rauschenberg

'Art has everything to do with life, but nothing to do with art.'

– Robert Rauschenberg

Widely considered one of the most influential US artists of the 20th century, Robert Rauschenberg refused to accept traditional conventions in both his life and his art. Spanning six decades, his expansive practice moved freely across painting, sculpture, photography, performance, printmaking and electronic art.

Rauschenberg always pushed the boundaries of what art could be during a time of social and technological change following the Second World War. Fuelled by a relentless curiosity about how he could work with the materials around him, he invented new methods of art making that changed the course of art history.

His early art practice in the 1950s challenged the dominance of North American Abstract Expressionism – paintings that are often characterised by gestural brushstrokes or spontaneous mark making. Instead, he brought everyday objects such as Coca-Cola bottles, ironing boards and newspapers, as well as images, both appropriated and his own photographs, into his painted canvases.

Growing up in Port Arthur, Texas, Rauschenberg designed theatre sets in high school. It was only after being drafted into the US Navy that he visited his first art museum and was inspired to become an artist. He was a passionate adventurer and prioritised bringing the real world into his artworks, often with objects and materials he found during his travels.

Each room in this display focuses on a different material Rauschenberg used, revealing how his way of working changed over time. Throughout his career, Rauschenberg held a profound enthusiasm for collaboration and experimentation, continually extending the limits of artistic practice.

ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries Scotland. Presented by Robert Rauschenberg Foundation 2026