Pour One Out For Robert Rauschenberg

His work is a part of art history curriculum, he questioned everything, broke all the rules, drank like a fish, spoke with a heavy Southern drawl and ran with the likes of de Kooning, Jasper Johns, and Jackson Pollock. One of the most recognizable figures in 20th century postwar modernism died today at 82, and the art world is paying their respects. He pushed the limits of Abstract Expressionism, the cool guy art of the 1950s and helped develop the philosophy of pop art, conceptualism, and process art. Rauschenberg was first noticed for his “combine” art–the combination of paint and sculpture–but later moved into several different mediums and experimental styles. For a comprehensive obituary, head over to The New York Times.