Oral history interview with Robert Petersen, 2015

Biographical Note

Robert Petersen was born in Le Mars, IA, and is an artist and printer. In 1969, he began working as an assistant printer at Gemini G.E.L., and in 1970 began working with Robert Rauschenberg in Captiva, FL. In 1971, Rauschenberg and Petersen established the experimental print shop, Untitled Press, Inc., where they not only printed their own work but also for visiting artists including David Bradshaw, Brice Marden, Hisachika Takahashi, Cy Twombly, and Robert Whitman. They worked together until 1980

Scope and Contents

Robert Petersen recalls his time at California State University Long Beach, where he became interested in lithography and then began working at Gemini G.E.L. Petersen recalls seeing the opening of the Carnal Clocks in Los Angeles in 1969, where he briefly met Rauschenberg before the police shut down the opening. He describes in detail the printing process at Gemini where he worked on Rauschenberg's Stoned Moon series, where his relationship with the artist began. He describes the period of time in which he lived with Rauschenberg in Malibu, after there was a fire at 381 Lafayette, where he helped with the collages for the Currents series. Petersen discusses projects inspired by the environment of Captiva including the Cardboards, Early Egyptians, and Egyptians; projects inspired by Rauschenberg's trip to India including the Bones, Unions, and Jammers; as well as the beginning of ongoing projects including Rauschenberg Overseas Cultural Interchange (ROCI) and Change, Inc. He recalls his first visits with Rauschenberg to 381 Lafayette and Captiva and discusses setting up Untitled Press. Petersen remembers stories of Cy Twombly's visits to Captiva and attending openings with Rauschenberg, including the National Gallery, the Pasadena Art Museum, and the Menil Collection

Subjects

• Artistic collaboration.
• Captiva Island (Fla.)
• Composition (Art).
• Edwards, Brent Hayes interviewer.
• Frohnert, Christina interviewer.
• Gemini G.E.L. (Firm)
• Guy, Gina interviewer.
• Interviews.
• Light in art--Exhibitions.
• Lithography.
• Nature in art.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Petersen, Lena interviewer.
• Petersen, Robert--Interviews.
• Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008.
• Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange.
• Sinclair, Sara interviewer.
• Site-specific installations (Art)
• Taylor, Debbie interviewer.

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York and Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, 2015