Rauschenberg: Art and Life (Hardcover)

by Mary Lynn Kotz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
An energetic Texan from a traditional Southern upbringing, Robert Rauschenberg wanted to be a minister but became an artist instead. His rags-to-riches story—like his art—is quintessentially American. But this biography of the painter, which was originally published in 1990 and has now been revised and expanded, is more descriptive than analytical. Focusing on the inspiration and fabrication of Rauschenberg’s works rather than on critical interpretation, Kotz’s homage glosses over sources of conflict or scandal, such as Rauschenberg’s failed first marriage and his falling-outs with Jasper Johns and Merce Cunningham, two early and important friends and collaborators. (A new chapter does, however, briefly mention Rauschenberg’s problems with alcohol and his fluctuating sexuality.) Instead, the biography cultivates a kind of intimacy with the artist. "Rauschenberg enjoys the moment," Kotz writes. "His days are filled with merriment of one kind or another. But he is a serious man, who perceives suffering and injustice as personal attacks … He is so gentle, caring, brilliant, and funny that his friends and staff feel for the tragic nature of his obsession … For Rauschenberg, there is such joy in work that it supersedes everything else." Kotz is at her best when describing Rauschenberg at work in his studio, and she does systematically document Rauschenberg’s innovations in painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, printmaking, collage and silkscreen printing, as well as the interactions of dance, theater, music, poetry and technology in his work and the logistics of his collaborative projects, including the Rauschenberg Overseas Cultural Exchange (ROCI), which attempts to "foster a dialogue with other nations through the language of art." But by far the best part of the volume is its gorgeous reproductions of more than 200 of Rauschenberg’s 6,000-plus works: the best account of Rauschenberg’s output yet. 112 color and 128 b&w illustrations.
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Product Description
Iconoclastic, generous, inventive, impulsive, sensitive, gregarious, prodigious: these are just some of the words to describe Robert Rauschenberg and the art he has been making now for 50 years. From the age of 38, when he received the grand prize at the Venice Biennale in 1964, Rauschenberg has been a pivotal figure in the art of our time. This revised edition of the classic biography of the artist, first published in 1994, adds 36 new pages to cover the significant moments in the last ten years of his career, including his monumental career retrospective at the Guggenheim in 1997.

With 230 illustrations, 112 in full color, Rauschenberg: Art and Life is a richly impressive and highly readable portrait of the artist. Showing the astonishing dexterity and range of Rauschenberg's art even as an emerging artist; the creation of his now famous combines; his eagerness to bridge art and technology; and the establishment of ROCI (Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange), this is a book, as one reviewer put it, "to grab from a burning house." AUTHOR BIO: Mary Lynn Kotz is the author of the best-selling Upstairs at the White House, Marvella, and A Passion for Equality (with Nick Kotz). She is a contributing editor to ARTnews and has written for many major magazines in her 20-year career as a journalist. She lives in Washington, D.C.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (November 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810955881
• ISBN-13: 978-0810955882
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 10.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #248,063 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Expanded Biography of Robert Rauschenberg, July 23, 2006

By	Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

'Notes to accompany an exhibition' would be a fitting title for this book for those who are unaware of Mary Lynn Kotz' revised/updated biography of Robert Rauschenberg as they currently enjoy the spectacular traveling exhibition of his works, COMBINES, currently filling the generous spaces of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Though the accompanying exhibition catalogue/book COMBINES, also available through Amazon.com, touches on many aspects of Rauschenberg's life, Kotz is a bit more conversational and adds to the art history aspect of the painter's life by a broader survey of his output.

Rauschenberg is about as American as they come, being born in Texas to a conservative family, destined for a career in the ministry but instead electing to flee the home and settle in New York where his more bohemian aspects blossomed into the important art figure he has become. His life has been enriched by alliances with Jasper Johns and Merce Cunningham, by struggle with some addictions, a bumpy personal life, but he has always been a warm, friendly, rather selfless artist who was unafraid to create art that reflects his life and times.

Some of the more helpful information Kotz delivers concerns Rauschenberg's idiosyncratic art techniques, creative modes in painting, photography, collage, construction, print making, and contributions to the theater (not only with sets designed for ballets, but incorporating poetry and media in a poignant manner into his sculptural works). Rauschenberg the Humanitarian also emerges as an icon for other artists to emulate in his serious work with global communication within the arts as a manner of inviting meaningful international conversation.

The book contains a generous number of full color plates of his art and his conceptual stages. The broad aspect of the works Kotz elects to include is very much in her favor as a biographer. For those who wish to understand the man behind the extraordinary art that is traveling the country, add this fine volume to the library. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, July 06