Robert Rauschenberg: Japanese Clayworks

Rauschenberg's rarely seen ceramic experiments of the 1980s

Over the course of a 15-year period, Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) frequently traveled to Japan, where he developed a keen interest in ceramics. The artist began to create his own, developing an idiosyncratic process that combined ancient Japanese pottery traditions with modern innovations. This striking volume charts Rauschenberg's foray into the medium. Including previously unpublished archival material, the book presents two of his rarely seen series, The Japanese Clayworks (1982/1985) and Japanese Recreational Clayworks (1982-83/1985). The former features sculptural elements and photographic imagery of ancient and modern Japan, as well as distinctive brushstrokes; the latter series comprises prefabricated reproductions of historical Western artworks on ceramic panels, to which Rauschenberg added his own imagery of contemporary Japan from photographs he took across the country, along with gestural brushwork.