Robert Rauschenberg: Cardbirds
About the Exhibition
Honoring Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925–2008) on the centennial of his birth, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts showcases his series Cardbirds (1971), which affirms not only the artist's ingenuity and versatility but also his response to an era marked by shifting perspectives on art, consumerism, and the environment.
Rauschenberg was a master of ready-made assemblages and painterly relief works. Following a move from New York to Captiva, Florida, the artist used the cardboard boxes that cluttered his home and studio to form unique sculptures and wall works. Collaborating with a Los Angeles–based printmaking company, Rauschenberg created Cardbirds (1971) from photographic and mechanical transfers as well as relief printing. His prints were designed to look like actual flattened cardboard boxes, replete with labels and stickers. Multiple layers of process and meaning characterize these works of art—timeless in their resonance and relevance.
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