Canyon

The Museum of Modern Art, New York (the USA).

Oil, pencil, paper, metal, photography, fabric, wood, different objects.

“Canyon” is one of the most outstanding works, which Rauschenberg made using mixed media. The attention of the viewer is immediately attracted by the impressive figure of the eagle with outstretched wings, which is located in the center of the composition. This powerful symbol is supplemented by various objects placed on the canvas, newspapers, drawings and photographs, one of which depicts the artist’s young son. A stuffed eagle was given to Robert Rauschenberg by his friend, who worked at Carnegie Hall and found it in a pile of garbage in the back of the building. This work has long been at the center of the scandal related to the ban on the destruction of white eagles and their taxidermy; its owners, the Sonnabend family, had to donate this work to the museum to avoid a major fine.