1956
(American, 1925–2008)
Oil, fabric, staples, newspaper, graphite on paper, printed paper, and printed reproduction on canvas
Unframed: 170.5 x 163.4 x 4.5 cm (67 1/8 x 64 5/16 x 1 3/4 in.)
Gift of the Cleveland Society for Contemporary Art 1966.333
© Robert Rauschenberg Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Rauschenberg changed his first name from Milton to Robert because he thought it sounded more artistic.
Gloria exemplifies Rauschenberg’s compositions that combine ephemera and abstract painting. By juxtaposing newspaper clippings (several of New York socialite Gloria Vanderbilt), a photograph, printed cardboard, and passages of paint, Rauschenberg dismissed traditional hierarchies of artistic materials while blurring boundaries between everyday life and art. As he once proclaimed, “A pair of socks is no less suitable to make a painting with than wood, nails, turpentine, oil, and fabric.”
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