Label
Rauschenberg embraced pop culture and technical experimentation. Radical blending of materials and methods brought him to the forefront of several art movements, including Pop art. Elevating the common and familiar to fine art, imagery such as a portable fan and advertisement for Sunkist oranges in this work are mishmoshed together on the unusual medium of plexiglass. Rauschenberg culled a vast array of mundane objects from his everyday environment and gave them a new life. Shops, flea markets, and the city streets of New York were a gold mine for Rauschenberg's tireless hunting, sourcing a vast array of artifacts that would be integrated into his work.
"Passport" is one of ten work in a series by various artists such as Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, and others. The series, titled "Ten from Leo Castelli," was commissioned for a portfolio to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the gallery owned by the legendary New York art dealer Leo Castelli.