ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG Art Institute of Chicago, 1976

This first edition exhibition poster was created in 1976 to promote a major retrospective of Robert Rauschenberg’s work, organized by the National Collection of Fine Arts (now part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum) in Washington, D.C. The retrospective was made possible through the mutual sponsorship of the National Endowment for the Arts (a U.S. federal agency), the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Published by Telamon Editions Limited and copyrighted in 1976, the poster is a significant piece of Rauschenberg ephemera that captures the energy and influence of his mid-career period. It is officially catalogued as Number 6 in the definitive reference book Rauschenberg: Posters.

Bold, experimental, and visually layered, the poster reflects the spirit of Rauschenberg’s work—his embrace of mixed media, found imagery, and the fusion of high and low culture. It stands as both a collectible artifact and a testament to the widespread institutional recognition of Rauschenberg’s impact on American art.