Two major New York museums are celebrating the centennial of Robert Rauschenberg's (1925–2008) birth this fall with exhibitions that spotlight lesser-known chapters of his career. At the Guggenheim New York, the monumental silkscreen painting "Barge" (1962–63) returns to New York in October for the first time in nearly 25 years as part of a show titled "Life Can't Be Stopped." The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) will showcase Rauschenberg's undersung photography work focused on New York City. Neither exhibition features his famous "Combines," instead highlighting other aspects of his wide-ranging practice. The Guggenheim's show is part of its new "Focus" series, launched in November 2024, which aims to highlight the museum's collection.
This matters because the exhibitions reframe Rauschenberg's legacy by emphasizing his silkscreen paintings and photography over his better-known mixed-media works, offering a more complete view of his prolific career. The return of "Barge" to New York after two decades is significant as it is the largest of Rauschenberg's 79 silkscreen works and has a panoramic, cinematic quality. The centennial celebrations, overseen by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, also include a slew of other exhibitions worldwide, underscoring Rauschenberg's enduring influence and the ongoing scholarly interest in his experimental practice across multiple media.