Last updated: 27 October 2026
Robert Rauschenberg was the American artist who joined painting and sculpture in his Combines. Here you will find our take on his work, the free Tate Modern display and where to buy.
Our take on Robert Rauschenberg
Rauschenberg made a goat, a tyre and a bed into art, and he called the results Combines, works that sit between painting and sculpture. Monogram (1955 to 1959), with its stuffed Angora goat, has been at Moderna Museet in Stockholm since 1964.
His 1959 statement for MoMA’s Sixteen Americans sums up the approach: “Painting relates to both art and life. Neither can be made. (I try to act in that gap between the two.)”
In 1964 he won the grand prize for painting at the Venice Biennale. Later he turned to scrap metal for the Gluts (1986 to 1994), which are at the centre of the current Tate Modern display.
Robert Rauschenberg: the essentials
- Born Milton Ernest Rauschenberg in Port Arthur, Texas, on 22 October 1925. Died in Captiva, Florida, on 12 May 2008.
- Studied at the Kansas City Art Institute, the Académie Julian in Paris, Black Mountain College under Josef Albers, and the Art Students League of New York.
- Made Erased de Kooning Drawing in 1953 and began his silkscreen paintings in 1962. Tate owns Almanac (1962).
- Co-founded Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.) in 1966 and set up Change, Inc., which gives emergency grants to artists, in 1970.
- Designed sets and costumes for Merce Cunningham and Trisha Brown, and worked closely with John Cage.
Robert Rauschenberg exhibitions
- ARTIST ROOMS: Robert Rauschenberg, Tate Modern, Blavatnik Building Level 4, from 21 September 2026 to December 2027. A free collection display of more than 20 works, built around the Glut sculptures.
- Robert Rauschenberg, Tate Modern, 1 December 2016 to 2 April 2017. The retrospective organised with MoMA, New York.
Where to buy Robert Rauschenberg prints and books
His original prints sell through auction houses and dealers, and we found no UK listing with a price when we checked.
- Book: Tate Introductions: Rauschenberg by Ed Krčma, Tate Publishing, 80 pages, 21 x 16.8 cm (8.3 x 6.6 in), £7.99.
- Reproductions: the Tate shop prints made-to-order reproductions of 17 works, including Almanac, from £30. They are not limited editions.
Robert Rauschenberg FAQs
Is the Rauschenberg show at Tate Modern free?
Yes. ARTIST ROOMS: Robert Rauschenberg is a free display on Level 4 of the Blavatnik Building, running from 21 September 2026 to December 2027.
What is a Rauschenberg Combine?
His name for works that join painting and sculpture, made up to 1964. Monogram, with its stuffed goat and tyre, is the best known.
What are Rauschenberg’s Gluts?
Sculptures he made from scrap metal between 1986 and 1994. Three were given to ARTIST ROOMS by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
When did Robert Rauschenberg die?
On 12 May 2008, in Captiva, Florida, aged 82.
More from CoolCuration
- Christine Kozlov at Raven Row review: a conceptual artist who once worked with Rauschenberg.
- Frieze week exhibitions: the London shows worth seeing around the fairs.
- Best affordable art in the UK: where to start collecting prints.
- Gifts for artists: our edit of presents for people who make things.
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Main image: Robert Rauschenberg at Black Mountain College, North Carolina, about 1951. Photo: Cy Twombly, courtesy Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio. Framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates and prices last checked: 27 October 2026.
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