Robert Rauschenberg

Person

Biography

Robert Rauschenberg was a hugely influential and prolific American artist whose work intersected with Jacob's Pillow history on at least two important occasions.  The first was in 1956, when Rauschenberg created the sets and costumes for Merce Cunningham's Nocturnes, which premiered at the Pillow.  The work displeased Ted Shawn, who protested to Cunningham that he had requested a "light" work.  Citing the Rauschenberg designs as his defense, Cunningham replied, "Well, it's all in white!"  (John Lindquist's photo of the premiere is seen at left.)  At the time of Cunningham's back-to-back Pillow appearances in 1955 and 1956, Rauschenberg was serving as stage manager for the company as well as designing décor and costumes.  Some 25 years later, the Pillow played a key role in commissioning Rauschenberg, Laurie Anderson, and Trisha Brown to create Set and Reset.  The Pillow provided the seed money for this collaboration with support from the New Works Program of the Massachusetts Council on the Arts, and it has gone on to become one of Trisha Brown's best-known and most acclaimed works.  Rauschenberg, who also served as Chairman of Trisha Brown's board of directors for many years, died at his home on Florida's Captiva Island in May 2008 at the age of 82.

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