From Publishers Weekly
An energetic Texan from a traditional Southern upbringing, Robert Rauschenberg wanted to be a minister but became an artist instead. His rags-to-riches story—like his art—is quintessentially American. But this biography of the painter, which was originally published in 1990 and has now been revised and expanded, is more descriptive than analytical. Focusing on the inspiration and fabrication of Rauschenberg’s works rather than on critical interpretation, Kotz’s homage glosses over sources of conflict or scandal, such as Rauschenberg’s failed first marriage and his falling-outs with Jasper Johns and Merce Cunningham, two early and important friends and collaborators. (A new chapter does, however, briefly mention Rauschenberg’s problems with alcohol and his fluctuating sexuality.) Instead, the biography cultivates a kind of intimacy with the artist. "Rauschenberg enjoys the moment," Kotz writes. "His days are filled with merriment of one kind or another. But he is a serious man, who perceives suffering and injustice as personal attacks … He is so gentle, caring, brilliant, and funny that his friends and staff feel for the tragic nature of his obsession … For Rauschenberg, there is such joy in work that it supersedes everything else." Kotz is at her best when describing Rauschenberg at work in his studio, and she does systematically document Rauschenberg’s innovations in painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, printmaking, collage and silkscreen printing, as well as the interactions of dance, theater, music, poetry and technology in his work and the logistics of his collaborative projects, including the Rauschenberg Overseas Cultural Exchange (ROCI), which attempts to "foster a dialogue with other nations through the language of art." But by far the best part of the volume is its gorgeous reproductions of more than 200 of Rauschenberg’s 6,000-plus works: the best account of Rauschenberg’s output yet. 112 color and 128 b&w illustrations.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description
Iconoclastic, generous, inventive, impulsive, sensitive, gregarious, prodigious: these are just some of the words to describe Robert Rauschenberg and the art he has been making now for 50 years. From the age of 38, when he received the grand prize at the Venice Biennale in 1964, Rauschenberg has been a pivotal figure in the art of our time. This revised edition of the classic biography of the artist, first published in 1994, adds 36 new pages to cover the significant moments in the last ten years of his career, including his monumental career retrospective at the Guggenheim in 1997.

With 230 illustrations, 112 in full color, Rauschenberg: Art and Life is a richly impressive and highly readable portrait of the artist. Showing the astonishing dexterity and range of Rauschenberg's art even as an emerging artist; the creation of his now famous combines; his eagerness to bridge art and technology; and the establishment of ROCI (Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange), this is a book, as one reviewer put it, "to grab from a burning house." AUTHOR BIO: Mary Lynn Kotz is the author of the best-selling Upstairs at the White House, Marvella, and A Passion for Equality (with Nick Kotz). She is a contributing editor to ARTnews and has written for many major magazines in her 20-year career as a journalist. She lives in Washington, D.C.

About the Author
Mary Lynn Kotz is the author of the best-selling Upstairs at the White House, Marvella, and A Passion for Equality (with Nick Kotz). She is a contributing editor to ARTnews and has written for many major magazines in her 20-year career as a journalist. She lives in Washington, D.C.

ANNOTATION

200 illustrations, 100 in full color plates, 180 pages, 9-5/8 x 12-3/4"

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"In preparing this book, the author interviewed just about everybody who has been important to Rauschenberg over the course of some six decades. Fresh anecdotes complement those already familiar to Rauschenberg followers, and new contributions from the artist further personalize and update this biography." With 200 illustrations - 92 in full color - Rauschenberg/Art and Life is an impressive portrait of the artist. In addition to the scores of works of art reproduced (paintings, combines, floor and wall constructions, prints made at U.L.A.E., and more), are personal photographs of Rauschenberg and his friends and family, creating in sum an intimate portrait of this living legend. A special feature of the book are the many reproductions, for the first time, of his most recent and significant work - ROCI (Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange) - a continually evolving body of work developed and exhibited in countries all over the world.

SYNOPSIS

Despite a broken hip, a temporarily debilitating stroke, and his battle with alcoholism, Rauschenberg has been hard at work in the years since the first edition of this authorized biography was published in 1990. This revised edition incorporates evaluations and reproductions of his approximately 2,000 new works called "Scenarios"—large, scenic paintings comprising manipulated imagery and expressive brushwork. There are also new anecdotes, new quotes from Rauschenberg himself, and new entries in his already impressive lists of awards, exhibitions, and reviews. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Rauschenberg, enfant terrible of American modernism in the 1950s and '60s, is now an ambassador for global good will. ROCI (Rauschenberg Overseas Cultural Interchange), an organization he founded in 1984, sponsors art exhibits and fosters cross-cultural collaborations with the aim of promoting world peace. Kotz's admiring, richly illustrated biography-cum-appreciation of ``Poppa Pop'' charts his boyhood escape from the conformity of the oil town of Port Arthur, Tex., his formative years at Black Mountain College, his political activism in the service of civil rights and peace, and above all, his restless experimentation blurring the boundaries of painting, sculpture, photography and printmaking. A contributing editor to ARTnews , Kotz scans the varied facets of Rauschenberg's output, including his color drawings for Dante's Inferno , his sets for Merce Cunningham's dances, the cardboard-box constructions and the sensual fabric collages and mud sculptures inspired by a 1975 trip to India. (Jan.)

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