Robert Rauschenberg - Editions & Works on Paper New York Tuesday, April 16, 2024 | Phillips

Create your first list.

Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

  • “The most interesting thing about art is it's a constant discovery.”
    —Robert Rauschenberg 

    Robert Rauschenberg used the solvent transfer process to recycle and recontextualize American collective memory. He utilized glossy, mass produced images found in magazines and newspapers like Life, Newsweek, and The New York Times. Rauschenberg first began this exploration of image transferring while visiting Cuba in 1952. He began with a simple water transfer, soaking a clipped photo in water before placing it face-first onto a sheet of paper, rubbing a dry pen nib across the back of the page until the image was reproduced onto its new surface. Always experimenting with new materials and methodologies, Rauschenberg later used liquids like turpentine and lighter fluid as the solvent in this process, which resulted in cleaner, more complete transfers of the source image. Since the transfer process ultimately obliterates the original image source by dissolving it, Rauschenberg’s solvent transfers are unique prints.

     

    Robert Rauschenberg working on transfer drawings in his studio, photographed by Jasper Johns, 1958. Image: © 2024 Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

    In addition to being a unique solvent transfer, Untitled features additional handwork by Rauschenberg in the form of a scarlet crayon line below the similarly hued image of a fire truck, and a festive birthday dedication to “Michael.” Michael Moneagle, who worked for Rauschenberg at his Lafayette Street building in a multitude of roles, from archivist, to videographer, to warehouse manager, to art installer, from 1981 to 1992. Building upon Rauschenberg’s lifetime of experimentation with the transmission and transformation of mass media images, Untitled reflects the artist’s continued return to the alchemical solvent transfer process, nearly forty years after his first artistic trials.

    • Provenance

      Gift of the artist, 1990

151

Untitled

1990
Unique solvent transfer drawing in colors with red crayon addition, on wove paper.
13 5/8 x 10 in. (34.6 x 25.4 cm)
Signed, dated and dedicated 'Happy Birthday – Michael' in pencil, framed.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
$10,000 - 15,000 

Sold for $6,350

Contact Specialist

editions@phillips.com
212-940-1220

Editions & Works on Paper

New York Auction 16 - 17 April