Art in Flight: Reinventing Postmodernism with Smithsonian Curator Carolyn Russo
xJoin us for an online conversation with acclaimed author and Smithsonian curator Carolyn Russo as she discusses her book The Ascent of Rauschenberg: Reinventing the Art of Flight.
American artist Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008) is best known for his groundbreaking "Combines," hybrids of painting and sculpture that often incorporated everyday objects. He also worked in collage, performance, photography and printmaking. Throughout his career, one theme kept returning: flight.
Carolyn's book traces that theme across his work, from birds and insects to aviation and spaceflight. It includes lithographs Rauschenberg made after NASA invited him to witness the Apollo 11 launch, as well as archival photographs and papers from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
Register now to see art history through the unique lens of flight, with a chance to ask questions.
Event details
Date: Thursday, 8 October 2026
Time: 3:00 pm ADT
Format: Online. Free registration is required.
About the Author
Carolyn Russo is curator of the art collection at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. She has lectured internationally on art and flight. Her publications include The Ascent of Rauschenberg: Reinventing the Art of Flight, Art of the Airport Tower, In Plane View: Abstractions of Flight and Women and Flight: Portraits of Contemporary Women Pilots.
This event is a collaboration between the Library Speakers Consortium and the Smithsonian Institution.