Robert Rauschenberg at the Museo del Novecento: An Irresistible, Timeless Dialogue
On the centenary of Robert Rauschenberg’s birth, the Museo del Novecento in Milan pays tribute to the New Dada master with an exhibition project that weaves together past and present, experimentation and tradition. The initiative, organized in collaboration with Paris-based gallery Thaddaeus Ropac, builds a bridge between the American artist’s work and masterpieces from the museum’s permanent collection, creating a visual (and conceptual) dialogue that highlights the groundbreaking nature of his artistic research.
Thanks to the support of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, curators Gianfranco Maraniello and Nicola Ricciardi, together with Viviana Bertanzetti, have integrated eight works by Rauschenberg—created between the 1970s and 1980s—into the museum’s itinerary. These pieces were carefully selected for their thematic affinities, formal relationships, and conceptual analogies with key figures of 20th-century Italian art. Rauschenberg’s works enter into conversation with iconic pieces by avant-garde masters—from Alberto Burri to Mario Schifano—revealing unexpected connections between his experimental language and movements such as Abstraction, Arte Povera, and Conceptualism.
The opening, part of the Milano Art Week program, took place the other night in front of a packed crowd of cultural figures. We at Say Who were there too—and took the chance to capture portraits of, among others, Julia Blaut, Alain Servais, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Giancarlo and Danna Olgiati, the senior Director of Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, José Castanal, Mark Westall, artists as Grazia Toderi, Flavio Favelli, Marcello Maloberti, Stefano Arienti and Matteo Cibic. The museum’s newly redesigned spaces become the stage for a fresh narrative that brings to life the visionary energy of an artist who redefined the boundaries between painting and object. A not-to-be-missed opportunity to rediscover the rebellious spirit, sharp wit, and relentless curiosity of one of the true pioneers of contemporary art.
Text: Germano D’Acquisto
Photos: Ludovica Arcero
