Robert Rauschenberg was an American painter and graphic artist born in Port Arthur, Texas who specialized in abstract expressionism. He took an experimental approach to art making which resulted in him being considered as one of the most influential American artists. Along with painting, he also worked with photography, printmaking, paper making, and performance art.

In his landmark series of Combines he mixed the materials of art making with ordinary things. With this series, Rauschenberg endowed new significance to ordinary objects by placing them in the context of art. The work ranged from free standing to wall-hung pieces, influenced by surrealism and the pop art movement.