Tampa Clay Piece 4
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
clay and fiberglass
Dimensions
overall: 24.1 x 43.2 x 3.8 cm (9 1/2 x 17 x 1 1/2 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Graphicstudio/University of South Florida and the Artist
Accession Number
1986.26.107
Art Historical Context
**Tampa Clay Piece 4** (1972) is a striking sculpture by Robert Rauschenberg, the innovative American artist renowned for his "Combines"—hybrid works that blurred the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and everyday objects. Created during a pivotal phase of Rauschenberg's career, this piece exemplifies his experimental spirit in the early 1970s, when he embraced unconventional materials to challenge traditional notions of art. Measuring a modest 24.1 x 43.2 x 3.8 cm, it combines clay and fiberglass, resulting in a textured, low-relief form that invites close contemplation of its tactile s...
About the Artist
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg, born Milton Ernest Rauschenberg on October 22, 1925, in Port Arthur, Texas, to parents Ernest R. Rauschenberg and Dora Carolina (née Matson), grew up in a Fundamentalist Christian household. Initially enrolled in pharmacology at the University of Texas at Austin, he dropped out and pursued art studies at the Kansas City Art Institute and Paris's Académie Julian, where he met a...