Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Rick Begneaud, 2015Biographical NoteRick Begneaud was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, the son of Janet and Byron Begneaud, Robert Rauschenberg's nephew. He is an artist in the San Francisco Bay area. His art makes use of found elements, abstract painting, and collage on paper or canvas. He has travelled extensively and his work has been influenced by the textiles and small objects he has encountered all over the world
Scope and ContentsBegneaud talks about growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana with friends and extended family, attending church as frequently as three times a week. He remembers visits with his uncle, Robert Rauschenberg, sometimes with groups of artists. Begneaud describes how he spent his summers in Captiva as a teen and shares later memories of the other artists there, when he was employed by Rauschenberg as a cook. Begneaud details what he learned from Rauschenberg while spending time in the studio, describing these early talks as lessons in observation. He details his travels with Rauschenberg: attending NYC openings; vacations to Paris, Italy and Greece; and Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI) trips to China and Chile. Begneaud speaks about connecting Rauschenberg to Bobby Weir and their ensuing friendship. He speaks about Rauschenberg's influence on his own life as an artist, and on spending time in Captiva following Rauschenberg's stroke in 2001. The interview ends with his thoughts about Rauschenberg's memorial at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
SubjectsAccess ConditionsCopyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York and Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, 2016
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