From the Seat of Authority, from Suite of Nine Prints, 1979

American painter and graphic artist Robert Rauschenberg pioneered the use of nontraditional materials in the creation of artwork, incorporating three-dimensional everyday objects and printed matter such as photographs and newspaper excerpts. Those highly-acclaimed and disruptive ‘Combines’ resulted in the progressive blend of painting and sculpture, questioning the distinction between fine art and readymade objects. Although primarily a painter and sculptor, Robert also worked with printmaking, photography and performance throughout his six-decade spanning career. To him we owe the foundations of what would be later called conceptual art, based on his ‘Neo-Dadaist’ belief that it was at the artist’s own discretion to define art.

From the Seat of Authority features imagery ranging from Renaissance-era portraiture to modern organigrams. By blending an eclectic series of images and applying what seems to be a colored filter or varnish over them, Rauschenberg challenges the viewer to question its understanding of the elements composing its everyday life and culture, sparking new dialogue. His pieces remained a far-reaching influence for later modern artists, such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, well beyond his lifetime.