Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Susan Weil, 2014Biographical NoteSusan Weil is a painter, a printmaker, and a book artist, who lives in New York. She met Rauschenberg in 1948 when they were both art students at the Académie Julian in Paris. Later they attended Black Mountain College together in North Carolina, studying under Josef Albers. Married from 1950 to 1953, Weil and Rauschenberg worked closely during those years and collaborated on various projects. Their son, Christopher, was born in 1951. Weil's work can be found in prominent art collections in the United States and Europe, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Museum of Modern Art; and the Moderna Museet, Stockholm. She is also the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
Scope and ContentsSusan Weil describes meeting Rauschenberg and their time in Paris at Académie de la Grand Chaumière and Académie Ronchamp, where they could draw live models. She talks about how they became artistic collaborators and romantic partners, and how Weil's decision to attend Black Mountain College influenced Rauschenberg to also enroll at the school. Weil discusses the influence of Joseph Albers at Black Mountain College, and Rauschenberg's difficulty with Albers's teaching style. She describes sewing clothes with Rauschenberg and their introduction to found object art. She reflects on her wedding and marriage to Rauschenberg and co-parenting their son, Christopher Rauschenberg. She also discusses their long friendship after the dissolution of their marriage, as well his continued involvement with Christopher and interest in her work
SubjectsAccess ConditionsCopyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York and Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, 2014
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