The New School Art Collection and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics are pleased to present Robert Rauschenberg & the News: Select Prints from The New School Art Collection, an installation that brings together, for the first time, fifteen prints by Robert Rauschenberg held in the university’s collection. Created between the 1960s and 1990s, the works reveal the artist’s sustained engagement with the rapidly shifting political landscape of the twentieth century, registering urgent responses to moments of social and political unrest as they unfolded in real time.

Throughout his decades-long career, Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008) dedicated himself to critically examining what he famously described as the gap between art and life. His works made use of everyday materials—newspaper stories, headlines, photographs, and other fragments of mass media—capturing pivotal historical moments, from environmental disasters and industrial extractivism to the civil rights movement and anti-war protests. 

His social and civic engagement reflected the democratic potential of journalism. This installation features such signature pieces as Untitled (from “Peace Portfolio”), documenting the aftermath of a 1970 Chevron Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Another print from 1970, Surface Series 48 (from Currents), features silkscreened newspaper headlines such as “Runoff Flushes Raw Sewage to River,” “Anti-War Marchers Back GE Strikers,” and “Nixon Plans Integration Help for South,” demonstrating overlapping concerns between environmental, economic, political, and social movements.

Rauschenberg’s prints were acquired by the university over many years, several from the family of one of the artist’s first gallerists, Leo Castelli, others by New School Trustee Vera G. List. They epitomize core values of The New School itself such as a longstanding commitment to progressive politics, interdisciplinary inquiry, and the belief—shared by Rauschenberg—that art can bridge civic life, politics, and collective action. Reflecting these intersections of activism and journalism, this installation also provides the impetus for the 2025–2026 Vera List New School Art Collection Student Writing Awards, which examine Rauschenberg’s artistic and activist legacies through original scholarship by New School students.

Working across and beyond traditional artistic boundaries, he developed a practice attuned to the most pressing political, social, and cultural conditions of his time—a form of politically engaged art that continues to resonate today. The prints in the exhibition are emblematic of the broader body of socially engaged artworks held in The New School Art Collection and epitomize the collection’s historic commitment to advancing the importance of art as a vehicle for sociopolitical change. This commitment was foundational to the vision of the collection’s founding trustee, Vera G. List, whose support established both The New School Art Collection and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, which join together as co-curators of the exhibition.      

About The New School Art Collection
Established in 1960 with a grant from Albert and Vera G. List, The New School Art Collection reflects a historic commitment to art as a vehicle for sociopolitical change and as an agent of personal and collective transformation. Today, the collection comprises approximately 2,000 postwar and contemporary works across nearly all media, representing some of the most innovative and creative artists of our time. Installed throughout the university campus, it transforms public spaces into lively forums for engaging with contemporary art and serves as a vital curricular resource, providing students and faculty an opportunity to engage with art on a daily basis. Ongoing acquisitions continue to support the vision of the university as an environment for innovative thinking and artistic experimentation.

About the Vera List Center for Art and Politics
The Vera List Center for Art and Politics is an artist-focused research center and public forum for art, culture, and politics. It was established at The New School in 1992—a time of rousing debates about freedom of speech, identity politics, and society’s investment in the arts. A leader in the field, the center is a nonprofit that catalyzes and supports politically engaged art, public scholarship, and research throughout the world. We champion the arts as expressions of the political moments from which they emerge, and consider the intersection between art and politics the space where new forms of civic engagement must be developed. Through public programs and the VLC Seminars, the Jane Lombard Prize and artist and student fellowships, and publications and exhibitions that probe some of the pressing issues of our time, we curate and support new roles for the arts and artists in advancing social justice. veralistcenter.org

About the Robert Rauschenberg Centennial
Robert Rauschenberg’s (1925–2008) strong conviction that engagement with art can nurture people’s sensibilities as individuals, community members, and citizens was key to his ethos. The Centennial celebrations seek to allow audiences familiar with him and those encountering the artist for the first time to form fresh perspectives about his artwork. A series of global activities and exhibitions in honor of Rauschenberg’s Centennial reexamines the artist through a contemporary lens, highlighting his enduring influence on generations of artists and advocates for social progress. The Centennial’s activation of the artist’s legacy promotes cross-disciplinary explorations and creates opportunities for critical dialogue. rauschenberg100.org

For additional information about the installation, contact Emily Clayton, Senior Collections Manager, The New School Art Collection, at claytone@newschool.edu., or visit rauschenbergfoundation.org and veralistcenter.org.