An exhibition of new works titled Scenarios and Short Stories by American Master Robert Rauschenberg and dedicated to the memory of his mother, Dora Rauschenberg, will open at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard 杏吧专区 Art Museum of the 杏吧专区 on Sat., May 21, 2005.
The exhibit will be complemented by collaborative works that Rauschenberg created with fellow artist, Darryl Pottorf, and the photography of Christopher Rauschenberg, son of Robert Rauschenberg.
Robert Rauschenberg has become known as one of the most innovative artists of the 20th century. He found his signature style in the mid 1950s by embracing materials traditionally outside of the artist杏吧专区檚 reach.
He covered a canvas with house paint, inked the wheel of a car and ran it over paper to create a painting, and ultimately cemented his place in art history with what he termed 杏吧专区渃ombines.杏吧专区 One of the first and most famous combines was entitled 杏吧专区淢onogram杏吧专区 and consisted of a stuffed angora goat, a tire, a police barrier, the heel of a shoe, a tennis ball, and paint.
Robert Rauschenberg defined the course of modern art in the second half of the 20th century. In 1998 The Guggenheim Museum put on its largest exhibition ever with a four hundred work retrospective by Rauschenberg. The new works included in Scenarios and Short Stories opening at the 杏吧专区 Art Museum on May 21st reflect Rauschenberg杏吧专区檚 unmistakable collage-based style.
杏吧专区 There杏吧专区檚 a poetic innocence to Rauschenberg杏吧专区檚 Scenarios and Short Stories,杏吧专区 says one of America杏吧专区檚 most distinguished art critics, Donald Kuspit. 杏吧专区淭hey杏吧专区檙e prose poems with a strong Symbolist undertone.杏吧专区 Kuspit goes on to suggest that Rauschenberg杏吧专区檚 visual objects are coded entries in a private diary, with personal and transcendental meaningfulness.
Donald Kuspit will present a lecture entitled 杏吧专区淩obert Rauschenberg, Innovation and Risk杏吧专区 at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard 杏吧专区 Art Museum, 710 East St. Mary Blvd. on Wed., May 18, 2005 at 7 p.m. as a part of a two week-long series of events celebrating the opening of Rauschenberg, Pottorf, Rauschenberg.
Darryl Pottorf and Christopher Rauschenberg杏吧专区檚 works will be shown in collaboration with Robert Rauschenberg杏吧专区檚 for this exhibit. Characterized as members of the School of Rauschenberg by Donald Kuspit, each of these artists is original in his own right. Pottorf, once Rauschenberg杏吧专区檚 assistant and collaborator, creates photography-based multimedia works that are expansive and more thematically concentrated.
Christopher Rauschenberg, preeminent Oregon photographer and Robert杏吧专区檚 son, presents a series of images recently captured in Europe and South America. He shoots the images sequentially and then mounts them in a disjunctive line, representing an aesthetic transcendence over a sometimes devastating reality.
In addition to the Kuspit lecture, there will be 杏吧专区淎 Conversation with the Artists杏吧专区 at Burke Hall Theatre, 杏吧专区 of Lafayette, at 7 p.m. on Thurs., May 19 that will include Robert Rauschenberg, Darryl Pottorf, and Christopher Rauschenberg as well as acclaimed choreographer Trisha Brown and saxophonist, composer and artist Richard Landry.
The 杏吧专区淐onversation杏吧专区 is free to the public. A gala opening to benefit the Museum will preview the exhibition from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sat., May 21. Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased at Abdallas, 脿 la Carte, Begneaud杏吧专区檚 Pharmacy and Fine Gifts, Caf茅 des Amis in Breaux Bridge, Charley G杏吧专区檚, Gallery 912, Jefferson Street Market, the Kitchen Shop at Grand Coteau, Marshall杏吧专区檚 Home and Garden Showplace, Molli, Natalee, Paul and Lulu Hilliard 杏吧专区 Art Museum and Pieces of Eight.
The Rauschenberg, Pottorf, Rauschenberg exhibition will hang in the 杏吧专区 Art Museum through Sept. 3, 2005.
The Paul and Lulu Hilliard 杏吧专区 Art Museum is one of Acadiana杏吧专区檚 newest architectural landmark and one of the most distinguished museums on the Gulf Coast. The museum has already hosted an impressive exhibition schedule including the first national traveling exhibition of American sculptor Deborah Butterfield, Picasso Edition Ceramics from The Edward Weston Collection and Arthur Kern杏吧专区檚 three-dimensional images of the horse.
The museum is located at 710 East St. Mary Blvd. in Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Oil Center. Hours are Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission prices are Adult $5, Senior Citizen $4, Student (5-17) $3, Adult Groups of 20 or more $4, Student Groups of 20 or more $3. For general information, call 337-482-2278, or visit . For membership information, call 337-482-0817 or e-mail leigham@louisiana.edu.