Elemental Sculptures (1953–ca. 1958)

Starting in 1953, Rauschenberg created a series of works from materials scavenged from the neighborhood surrounding his Fulton Street studio in Lower Manhattan. Works in the series were first exhibited in Rauschenberg: Paintings and Sculpture at Stable Gallery, New York, from September 15 to October 3, 1953. In a number of the works, Rauschenberg allowed for viewer participation by including movable parts. As he later recalled, “That whole period was about people getting involved and touching.”