Robert Rauschenberg%2C Signs%2C 1970 %C2%A9 Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
Signs, 1970
Color screenprintexpand_more
Gift of funds from Mr. and Mrs. Russell Cowlesexpand_more P.70.96
Not on Viewexpand_more
In late 1969, Time magazine commissioned Robert Rauschenberg to create a cover image for a forthcoming issue heralding the arrival of the 1970s. Instead, he produced this now-famous photomontage (issued as a screenprint) that recalled the turmoil and tragedies of the 1960s. Though rejected for publication, it epitomized Rauschenberg's concern for the state of contemporary American society, something that was central to his closely-held beliefs and artistic practice.
Using pictures clipped from newspapers and magazines of the day, he concisely summarized the decade's historically significant events: U.S. soldiers on patrol in Vietnam; student anti-war protests; astronaut Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon; legendary blues singer Janis Joplin; and the murdered American leaders President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. According to the artist, Signs was "conceived to remind us of love, terror, violence of the last ten years. Danger lies in forgetting."
Details
- Title
- Signs
- Artist Life
- 1925–2008
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- P.70.96
- Provenance
- [Castelli Graphics, New York], sold to MIA, 1970.
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Foster 155
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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Robert Rauschenberg, Signs, 1970 © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation