HELP IDENTIFY artist on a 1979 unusual print

HELLO ALL...I picked this print up today..it was so unusual and 1970's I could not resist..the size framed is 24 inches by 15.5 inches tall..I have to take it apart and give it a good cleaning..the images have no pixels except on the edges of the figures..its dated dec 30 then the year 1979 with the artists initials..ive been researching it since 3pm and now I'm in need of your expertise...thanks in advance Andy

 

It appears so. Limited edition of 650,000 done for the Miami Herald. December 30 edition. (Hum... Where have I seen that name and date recently?)

https://greg.org/archive/2010/10/04/robert-rauschenberg-piece-for-tropic-1979-edition-of-650000.html

Debora

 

Just saw this. Huge edition but still a Rauschenberg and definitely signed R. R. to the right of the 1979. Nothing to verify-it’s legit.

 

Appears to be in good condition too. No fading.

Debora

 

Signed in the plate. There’s no way anyone would sign 650,000 prints. Plus his signature is pretty unique. Not simply his initials

 

thank you to all..you are all very impressive...just got home....if you saw it in real life I'm pretty sure you would agree its legit...im going to have to open it ..the glass has a light mold on it on the matted area but when I loop it the paper looks pretty good and frame needs a cleaning..the print itself under magnification its hard to explain but some colors were put over other colors..and what I read it was a run out of a news paper or magazine..just took a good look and there a fold in the center with staple holes.. thanks Andy....I found a piece of unsigned art pottery I might put on tonight

 

im pretty sure its plate signed..im gonna take another look

 

Definitely true. Just agreeing that it is a Rauschenberg huge edition prob giveaway initialed in plate print. Still a Rauschenberg editioned print.

 

The fact remains that we’re talking semantics, “limiting” an edition to 650,000 copies is the same thing as an open edition. No inherent collector value, it is a poster and nothing more.

 

Mea culpa. I used the word "limited" ironically. Of course something produced in a multiple of 650,000 is not. But still... even if a "poster," an interesting work produced by a major American artist for a major metropolitan market.

But ¡ojo! According to the link... "The artist went to the Herald pressroom and signed 150 of them, thus enhancing their value–and the jubilation of readers fortunate enough to find one on their doorstep."

Debora

 

I agree that the edition size is absurd and to a limited edition print collector it has no value however I agree with Debora that it is still a Rauschenberg print (not a poster IMO) in a “limited” edition that someone will arguably overpay to own what they consider a “limited edition” print by one of America’s most famous post WW2 artists.

It has no value to me nor would I have it in my collection but someone will want it and know that I’d love to own a Rauschenberg pencil signed and small edition print. The OP’s print is a legit Robert Rauschenberg print which IMO is a perfect example of why buyers need to know what they’re buying.

 

Deboras link above says 150 were signed but no known examples have come up for sale..it also a gallery has one from the 650,000 for sale at $975.00

 

I don't think anyone is pretending the work is anything but what it is but what it is is fascinating. From the link I provided above...

While pursuing his MFA at the University of Miami in 1976, artist Leo Rosenblatt created a printmaking process called Stat Art, “a technique incorporating drawing and mixed media on large sheets of commercial copy film in conjunction with light sensitive newspaper printing plates.
“Stat Art allowed unusually large runs of original lithographic art to be printed on large commercial newspaper presses with no image deterioration.”
Rosenblatt began working as the art director for Tropic Magazine, published on Sundays by the Miami Herald, where he continued his experiments with Stat Art, culminating in what he calls “the world’s largest edition of an original lithograph,” by the well-known Florida resident and prolific printmaker, Robert Rauschenberg.

Debora

 

The link I posted has, in turn, a link to a People Magazine article. For those who haven't seen...

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20076514,00.html

Debora

 

Rauschenberg at the Miami Herald, looking through photography archives for source material for Cover for Tropic, The Miami Herald (1979), published in an edition of 600,000, December 1979. Photo: Attributed to John Doman.

 

I agree its fascinating...

 

My point exactly. Someone without knowledge may pay something ridiculous for it.

 

im going to open it clean the glass and see if he signed it in the back..it would be great to find a signature...if an unsigned one is 975 then a signed one might sky rocket