was a revolutionary American artist whose boundary-pushing approach reshaped the landscape of postwar art. Working fluidly across painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, and performance, he is best known for combining everyday objects with traditional materials, a practice that expanded the definition of what art could be. Rauschenberg’s "Combines" fused painting and sculpture, challenging the visual language of Abstract Expressionism and opening the door to Pop, Conceptual, and Performance Art.

Often mentioned alongside Jasper Johns, Rauschenberg helped spark a pivotal shift in American art during the 1950s and 60s. His work embraced spontaneity, material experimentation, and the poetry of the ordinary.

John Powers first encountered Rauschenberg in the late 1950s at Leo Castelli Gallery and became one of his earliest collectors and advocates. Powers recalled:

"He is a genius at proving that anything can be the subject of art... and that any material can be used as art."

Their friendship endured through decades of collaboration and celebration. Rauschenberg visited Aspen, where his work was exhibited and championed by the Powers. Powers once recounted,

"Warhol and Rauschenberg both visited Aspen while they were here. In fact, Rauschenberg broke his arm while skiing and went to the opening in a sling."

In 1971, Rauschenberg created Cardbirds, a sculptural series using corrugated cardboard. Arrows marked their surfaces, evoking both avian movement and the mundane beauty of shipping boxes. These works, like much of his practice, honored the overlooked and transformed the everyday.

Cardbirds is on view in our current exhibition: In the Living Room with John and Kimiko at the Powers Art Center.