Nugget

Robert Rauschenberg relocated from New York to Captiva Island, Florida in the 1970s. Reflecting this change in scenery, and the influence of a 1975 visit to Ahmedabad, India, his materials shifted from gritty urban detritus to a new range of textiles and found items.

'Nugget' belongs to a series of works made between 1975 and 1976 that recall the sails of the square-rigged boats, known as ‘windjammers’, that he had seen in India. Made from solid-colour textiles, they are distinct from the densely layered imagery and collages of the early 1970s.'Nugget' comprises two fabric panels, one of which is affixed to the wall. The other, partially supported by a pole, includes a pocket filled with tin cans that lend the otherwise light and airy textile a weighty, sculptural quality.