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Artist, philanthropist Robert Rauschenberg dead at 82

Artist, philanthropist Robert Rauschenberg dead at 82

Write: Cleva [2011-05-20]
Artist, philanthropist Robert Rauschenberg dead at 82World-renowned artist Robert Rauschenberg has died. The 82-year-old had recently been treated for pneumonia at Lee Memorial Hospital. He died overnight at his home.

Rauschenberg, whose works have captivated the entire world, lived on Captiva Island since 1970.

Born in Port Arthur Texas, Milton Robert Rauschenberg started out with very little.

His mother made the family's clothes from scraps and later taught Bob how to collage.

Bob went from wanting to become a minister to marine to artist.

He studied briefly in Paris and North Carolina, then headed to New York.

In the 1950's and 60's Bob and close friend Jasper Johns revolutionized the art world, by making art affordable to everyone.

Until then, art had been too expensive for many. Bob often said he wanted to work in the gap between art and life.

In 1970 he settled on Captiva Island.

He became a huge donor in both art and dollars to the arts for act charity event. Money raised goes to victims of domestic violence and victims of sexual abuse.

Over the years, he raised millions of dollars for the charity and sold art to Hollywood stars like Sharon Stone, Lilly Tomlin and Lauren Hutton.

Just this past November, Bob gave $100,000 to a local AIDS treatment center. The center provides care for about 650 patients with HIV or AIDS.

To honor his gift, the center was renamed to The Bob Rauschenberg Center for Living.