The Ascent of Rauschenberg: Reinventing the Art of Flight

Take flight with postmodern artist Robert Rauschenberg in this tribute to his space and aviation art, featuring art history and 150+ fascinating images

Most famous for his groundbreaking "Combines"—painting and sculpture hybrids that often incorporated everyday objects—American artist Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) created within a range of mediums, including collage, performance, photography, and printmaking. But a connective tissue through it all was his fascination with flight. The Ascent of Rauschenberg explores the flight motif across his work, spanning birds, insects, aviation, spaceflight, sensory experiences, and metaphors for his own life.

More than 150 images reveal the vibrant scope of his work, from lithographs inspired by the Apollo 11 launch that NASA invited him to witness and document, to a Combine featuring a taxidermied eagle that evokes Roman mythology. Nine accompanying essays reflect on his many flight themes and subtleties that might otherwise be overlooked. The book also includes archival photographs and personal papers from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

Considered a forerunner of several artistic movements, most notably pop art, Rauschenberg was one of the most influential artists of his time. This gorgeous volume engages with his work at an intimate level and through a distinctive lens, revealing an artist deeply mesmerized by the innovation of flight within nature, technology, and art. By observing Rauschenberg's work through the prism of flight, The Ascent of Rauschenberg refracts to reveal the depth and dazzle of an unparalleled career.

CAROLYN RUSSO is the curator of the art collection at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. She has lectured internationally on the subject of art and flight and is the author of several publications including Art of the Airport Tower, In Plane View: Abstractions of Flight, and Women and Flight: Portraits of Contemporary Women Pilots.