Rauschenberg: Canyon: MoMA One on One Series

By Leah Dickerman

Book Overview

In the mid-1950s, declaring "there is no reason not to consider the world as a gigantic painting," Robert Rauschenberg began a series of radical experiments with what he called "Combines," a term he coined to describe works that fused cast-off items like quilts or rubber tires with traditional supports. "Canyon" (1959), one of the artist's best-known Combines , is a large canvas affixed with paper, fabric, metal, personal photographs, wood, mirrors and one very striking object: a large stuffed bald eagle, wings outstretched, carrying a drooping pillow, and balanced upon a wooden plank jutting out from the canvas. "Canyon" is one of six Combines in MoMA's collection, and a landmark work that helped to revolutionize art in the postwar period. An essay by curator Leah Dickerman explores the legacy of this extraordinary piece, and places it within a key period in Rauschenberg's career.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870708945
• ISBN13: 9780870708947
• Release Date: February 2014
• Publisher: Museum of Modern Art
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 7.1" x 8.9"