Who Was Robert Rauschenberg and Why Was He So Important?

If there’s a single adjective that sums up Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008), it would have to be protean, though prolific fits as well. Estimated to number some 10,000 works, Rauschenberg’s oeuvre was driven by an expansive sensibility that saw possibilities for art everywhere and a generosity of spirit reflected in his cooperation with other artists.Rauschenberg’s avidity manifested most famously in his “combines,” begun in the mid 1950s. Harvested from the st