Bob Rauschenberg Gallery

During the month of December, three exhibitions open, two close and 26 others continue their runs.

This year represents the 100th anniversary of legendary artist Robert Rauschenberg’s birth. To mark the occasion, the Alliance for the Arts is screening “Taking Venice” at 7 p.m. on November 13th. The documentary reveals how a team of U.S. insiders allegedly pressured the Venice Biennale to confer the Grand Prize in Painting on Rauschenberg in 1964.

This year would have marked the 100th anniversary of legendary artists Bob Rauschenberg. His foray into different mediums made him one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th Century.

During the month of November, four exhibitions open, two close and 23 others continue their runs.

An unnamed investor and the Captiva Island Fire Department have made an offer to purchase Bob Rauschenberg’s 22-acre compound from his foundation. To persuade the foundation to accept that offer, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation has initiated a letter writing campaign. It is encouraging people to tell the Foundation how important the property’s conservation is to islanders and to honoring the late artist’s memory.

At FSW, lies a hidden treasure: The Bob Rauschenberg Gallery. Currently on display is Rauschenberg 100: A Centennial Celebration of one of the most prolific artists of the 20th Century.

Determining an artist’s importance is normally problematic. Not with Robert Rauschenberg. So says Jade Dellinger with the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery in Fort Myers.“He was an artist’s artist,” Dellinger proclaimed. “Maybe people have heard or know more about Salvador Dalí or Andy Warhol in terms of name recognition, but Rauschenberg is one of those artists that really changed everything."

When he returned from China in 1985, Bob Rauschenberg stopped at the Mucky Duck on Captiva to watch the sun set. The owner, Victor, handed him a letter that had been mailed to the artist care of the pub. It turned out to be a fan letter from a young man named Jade Dellinger.

Today is the 100th anniversary of artist Bob Rauschenberg’s birth and, by proclamation, it’s Bob Rauschenberg Day in the city of Fort Myers.

Bob Rauschenberg is considered one of the great American artists of the 20th Century. He spent a portion of his life traveling the globe, enriching his art and picking up new skills.