Robert Rauschenberg
Boom
1976

Object made of cloths, rod, and cord
Dimensions variable

Inv. no. 3469

Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen
Permanent loan from the Museumsverein Morsbroich e.V.

Robert Rauschenberg

1925, Port Arthur, Texas (USA) – 2008, Captiva Island, Florida (USA)

Robert Rauschenberg’s Boom (1976) is a work that truly stands out. Three differently colored cloths are attached to the wall with nails as well as to a blue wooden stick, which in turn projects into the room diagonally on a cord of the same color. Even when considering its affiliation with the series Jammers, which is oriented around sailboats and flotsam, such an unconventional work still challenges the viewer. All the more so given the broad range of meanings the title Boomevokes: from the outrigger of a boat to a blasting sound, from a camera rig to an economic bubble before it bursts.

In  The basic elements of Rauschenberg’s art are three-dimensionality, the integration of everyday objects, as well as his laconic simplicity and mischievous humor (Neo-Dada). His “combines” are combinations of sculpture and painting. According to his own artistic credo, they are situated “in the gap between art and life.” In this way, Rauschenberg brings sublime art and everyday life closer to each other. This is precisely what happens in Boom: on a trip to India, the artist encountered people wearing diverse fabrics in bright colors as a matter of course in their everyday lives.