Robert Rauschenberg: Sympathy for Abandoned Objects at Gladstone Gallery (May 1-June 14, 2025)
Robert Rauschenberg, “Twin Bloom / ROCI TIBET,” 1985
Presented in collaboration with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation on the occasion of the artist’s Centennial, Gladstone Gallery, New York (530 West 21st Street) mounted the first survey of Rauschenberg’s sculptural practice in thirty years, spanning his production from the 1950s through the late 1990s. Including works from “Scatole Personali” (1952–53), “Elemental Sculptures” (1953/59), Combines (1954–64), “Kabal American Zephyrs” (1981– 83/1985/1987–88), “Gluts” (1986–89/1991–94), and the Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI; 1984–91), the exhibition underscored the artist’s innovative use of found and readymade materials.
Claiming a “sympathy for abandoned objects,” Rauschenberg created a body of strictly sculptural work featuring repurposed objects and humble materials from everyday life. The sculptures on display spanned half a century of Rauschenberg’s creative practice, revealing the artist’s instinctive and playful sensibility. His ability to integrate and synthesize extended beyond his material innovation, encompassing the dynamic ways in which the artist’s practice engaged with various art movements, artists, and social issues of the latter half of the twentieth century.
