I didn't originally like Rauschenberg's art from the 1960s, which I had seen locally. So I was amazed to chance upon a show of his I loved at the National Gallery of Art in the early 1990s. I spent hour upon hour looking at this show. Each was a masterpiece of modern art using multiple devices and techniques. It was dizzying. Then, I HAD to have this book so I could study this marvelous artist and take in the whole of his career. It's hard for me to now imagine how anyone could dislike his work as he seemingly does it all in art. He can incorporate the real with the abstract seamlessly. He flows from one medium to another, seemingly without effort, incorporating them all together into one "painting" (I don't know what else to call them but they are unlike anyone else's paintings). I like his art best from the 1980s and 1990s but he was always pushing the envelope. Published by Abrams, the book itself is perfection and displays the art beautifully. If you want to open yourself to modern art and mixed media, this is the artist for you to embrace. This book is your starting point.

This is a fantastic book on the work and life of Robert Rauschenberg! I have seldom read a book with such relish! I was exposed to Rauschenberg in a new way. I was amazed at the people and places he was connected to and the media he catapulted into art history. If you are seeking inspiration in your own work or simply a fabulous biography, try this one. It may be the one that changes how you look at the world.