Robert Rauschenberg: ‘He was just something to be around’

From his paint-spattered bed to a stuffed goat, the artist broke boundaries. On the eve of a major retrospective, his friends recall a generous spirit on his island hideawayMatt Hall vividly remembers his job interview with Robert Rauschenberg. A mutual acquaintance had approached Hall, then sous chef at a restaurant on the island of Captiva, off Florida, to see whether he would be interested in managing the artist’s property nearby. As Hall approached his beach house, the artist emerged o