Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Exhibitions
news

Robert Rauschenberg's great work heads to China

Artist's installation, one of the longest works of art in the world, will go on show in Beijing next year

Charlotte Burns
5 November 2015
Share

A 1,582ft-long installation by Robert Rauschenberg—one of the longest works of art in the world—is heading to China.  

The ¼ Mile or 2 Furlong Piece (1981–98) consists of 191 panels and sculptural elements. It is due to go on show at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing in June 2016, before the Rauschenberg retrospectives planned for Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art in 2016 and 2017.

The last show dedicated to the artist in China was in 1985, when he travelled there as part of the Rauschenberg Overseas Cultural Interchange tour. Christy MacLear, the executive director of the Rauschenberg Foundation, says: “He [believed] that art was a better communicator across borders than politics, and went to countries including China, Cuba and Russia to work with local artists, and collect artefacts and images, to create art dedicated to those countries.”

Rauschenberg believed that “art was the ultimate peacekeeping currency—a language everyone understands regardless of orientation, religion, geographic residence or race”, MacLear says. She adds that if the massive work of art “couldn’t be held on the Great Wall of China, then UCCA was the next perfect place”.

Exhibitions
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Auctionsnews
17 January 2017

Rothko and Rauschenberg to lead Christie’s London auction in March

Weak pound and successful museum shows means increased audience for Post-war American artists

By Ermanno Rivetti
Exhibitionsfeature
28 March 2025

Robert Rauschenberg's centenary celebrations are starting with old friends

Rarely seen works and other treats will go on show in worldwide exhibitions, starting in Milan and Munich this April

Benjamin Sutton
Exhibitionsnews
16 May 2016

Robert Rauschenberg's art to make Beijing comeback after 31 years

His 305-meter long installation to go on show three decades after artist visited China

Lisa Movius