Photo Credit: Art © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation/Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 
Photo Credit: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Irving Penn, © 2005 Irving Penn
Robert Rauschenberg was born Milton Ernest Robert Rauschenberg in Port Arthur, Texas. Rauschenberg was an American Artist who studied under Josef Albers, the former Bauhaus instructor, at Black Mountain College outside of Asheville, North Carolina. After experimenting with various mediums spanning painting, photography, Graphic Design and sculpture, Rauschenberg began making a name for himself in New York. He is known for taking everyday objects and using them as art materials. In 1995, Rauschenberg was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts in recognition of a lifetime of making innovative art.