An Archaeology in Time: Robert Rauschenberg’s Early Photography

This digital brochure emerges from a unique collaboration between the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and Hunter College’s MA Program in the History of Art, examining Rauschenberg’s early photography from 1950–53 and its relationship to his later artistic practice. Under the guidance of Professor Maria Antonella Pelizzari, Hunter College MA and MFA students curated the installation An Archaeology in Time at Rauschenberg’s former New York home and studio, now the Foundation’s headquarters, developing new scholarship around these formative works.

Through close analysis of individual photographs, the publication reveals how Rauschenberg’s early photographic practice laid the groundwork for his later artistic innovations. From his documentation of Roman flea markets during his 1952 travels with Cy Twombly to his interest in weathered surfaces influenced by Aaron Siskind at Black Mountain College, these early photographs anticipate key themes that would define his career: the repurposing of discarded materials, the interplay between sacred and secular imagery, and the creation of complex visual compositions that would later emerge in works like his Combine paintings and Dante’s Inferno illustrations. The students’ research uncovers new details about the locations and contexts of these photographs while demonstrating their crucial role in Rauschenberg’s artistic development.

Published by Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

Edited by Maria Antonella Pelizzari

Copyedited by SNAP Editions, New York

Designed by Natalie Wedeking

Fully illustrated, 61 pages

_{All images © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation}