1970s
A01=Branden W. Joseph
A01=Joseph N. Newland
A01=Michelle White
A01=Nick Mauss
american art
Author_Branden W. Joseph
Author_Joseph N. Newland
Author_Michelle White
Author_Nick Mauss
black mountain
Category=AFW
Category=AGA
Category=AGB
Category=AKT
combines
costume design
drop cloth
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
exhibition catalogue
gauze
hoarfrosts
jammers
junk sculpture
large scale work
merce cunningham
minimalism
multimedia works
performance
sculpture
venetians
Product details
- ISBN 9780300284195
- Dimensions: 229 x 292mm
- Publication Date: 07 Oct 2025
- Publisher: Yale University Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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A survey of Robert Rauschenberg’s innovative use of cloth in the 1970s and its significance in the artist’s oeuvre
Centering on a period of Robert Rauschenberg’s career that has not received much attention, this book focuses on three series by the artist that feature fabric: the idiosyncratic Venetians, 1972–73; the gauzy Hoarfrosts, 1974–76; and the large, simple Jammers, 1975–76. Fascinated by the expressive potential of textiles, including silks, gauze, cheesecloth, and drop cloths, Rauschenberg experimented with the ability of woven materials to capture color and light, hold printed images, and move in the air.
Essays contextualize Rauschenberg’s work with cloth in the history of 1970s late modernism and Postminimalism, as well as his career-long interest in the intersection of art and the body through his work in scenography and costumes for dance. Michelle White provides an in-depth overview of the three series and related works, while Branden Joseph explores how they connect with the era’s cultural and economic precarity. Nick Mauss examines how the artist used fabric to create a sense of intimacy and revisit past practices, relationships, and dynamics of collaboration. And Joseph N. Newland discusses Rauschenberg’s costumes and scenic designs for the dance companies of Merce Cunningham and Trisha Brown.
Distributed for the Menil Collection
Exhibition Schedule:
The Menil Collection, Houston, TX
(September 19, 2025–March 1, 2026)
Centering on a period of Robert Rauschenberg’s career that has not received much attention, this book focuses on three series by the artist that feature fabric: the idiosyncratic Venetians, 1972–73; the gauzy Hoarfrosts, 1974–76; and the large, simple Jammers, 1975–76. Fascinated by the expressive potential of textiles, including silks, gauze, cheesecloth, and drop cloths, Rauschenberg experimented with the ability of woven materials to capture color and light, hold printed images, and move in the air.
Essays contextualize Rauschenberg’s work with cloth in the history of 1970s late modernism and Postminimalism, as well as his career-long interest in the intersection of art and the body through his work in scenography and costumes for dance. Michelle White provides an in-depth overview of the three series and related works, while Branden Joseph explores how they connect with the era’s cultural and economic precarity. Nick Mauss examines how the artist used fabric to create a sense of intimacy and revisit past practices, relationships, and dynamics of collaboration. And Joseph N. Newland discusses Rauschenberg’s costumes and scenic designs for the dance companies of Merce Cunningham and Trisha Brown.
Distributed for the Menil Collection
Exhibition Schedule:
The Menil Collection, Houston, TX
(September 19, 2025–March 1, 2026)
Michelle White is senior curator at The Menil Collection. Branden W. Joseph is Frank Gallipoli Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at Columbia University. Nick Mauss is an artist and writer. Joseph N. Newland is director of publishing at The Menil Collection.
