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View of Robert Rauschenberg’s Untitled [glossy black painting] (verso) showing wooden brackets

Related to Untitled [glossy black painting], ca. 1951

View of Robert Rauschenberg’s Untitled [glossy black painting] (verso) showing wooden brackets

Related to Untitled [glossy black painting], ca. 1951

Robert Rauschenberg, Untitled [glossy black painting], ca. 1951 (verso)

Research Material
Artwork Verso

This conservation image of Untitled [glossy black painting] shows the aluminum honeycomb insert that was added to the back of the work in 1988 to stabilize the canvas for exhibition and transport. In 2012, SFMOMA replaced this insert with a paper-based honeycomb support, substantially decreasing the weight of the painting and making it easier to handle and install. The original wooden rectangles that Rauschenberg added to brace the painting’s corners were retained through both conservation treatments.

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