The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is currently presenting a comprehensive retrospective of Robert Rauschenberg's work, focusing on his photography and found objects to commemorate the centennial of the artist's birth. This exhibition is one of numerous shows worldwide celebrating the 100th anniversary of Rauschenberg's birth, but it specifically concentrates on the artist's complex relationship with New York City and his personal, distinctive vision of the "real world" as he perceived it.
Rauschenberg is recognized as one of the leading contemporary artists of post-war New York. His ability to push boundaries, explore new techniques, and experiment with diverse materials helped shape an artistic narrative whose influence continues to resonate today. He possessed the remarkable talent of transforming everyday objects into multifaceted works of art, combining found objects, images, and letters cut from magazines and newspapers to create paintings and sculptures that turned the mundane into masterpieces.
Beyond his acclaimed mixed-media work, Rauschenberg was also a virtuoso photographer who combined creative vision with an ability to capture subjects from fresh perspectives. This exhibition focuses exclusively on his photography and is organized into three distinct sections that examine his photographic practice and its dialogue with painting, sculpture, and assemblage.
The first section, "Early Photographs," presents his initial images, primarily intimate portraits where he experimented with the fundamentals of photography including light, framing, and shadow. The second section, "In & Out City Limits," showcases an investigation he conducted across the country over three years from 1979 to 1981, a project he had originally theorized while he was a student. This portion of the exhibition demonstrates Rauschenberg's study of human culture, with New York serving as a modest and humanizing backdrop. Conscious of the social landscape, he documented it through images that reveal a profound fascination with society and culture.
The final section, "Photography in Painting," brings together photographs taken between 1963 and 1994, combining views focused on New York with images created around the world. This section clearly shows the transformation of his work and creative process, which was in constant evolution and proved to be both significant and determining factors in his artistic development.
The exhibition is organized in partnership with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Courtney J. Martin, the foundation's executive director, emphasized the importance of this collaboration, stating: "We are honored to support the Museum of the City of New York's thoughtful and timely exhibition. New York was not just a backdrop for Rauschenberg's practice; the city was also a catalyst for how his objects took shape throughout his career. This exhibition reminds us how much the energy, texture, and unpredictability of the city were at the heart of his innovative approach to artistic creation."
Rauschenberg was a prolific artist who left a lasting influence, and his legacy deserves to be celebrated. A full year of celebrations of his life and work reexamines him through a contemporary lens, where photography occupies an essential place. "Robert Rauschenberg's New York: Pictures from the Real World" is on display at the Museum of the City of New York through April 19, 2026. The museum is located at 1220 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10029.
