Susan 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 Bl ack 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
Artists--Family relationships; Artists--Relations with women; Abstract expressionism--20th century--United States; Found objects (Art); Artistic collaboration; Artists; Cyanotypes; Weil, Susan; Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008; Rauschenberg, Christopher, 1951-; Albers, Josef; Black Mountain College (Black Mountain, N.C.)
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2014
Physical Description
223 pages
Note (Biographical)
Susan 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, stu dying 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
Note
Interviewed by Mary Marshall Clark on January 27, June 6, and September 10, 2014. Sara Kirschenbaum, Weil's daughter, joined the interviews on January 27 and June 6; Christopher Rauschenberg, Weil's son, joined the interview on September 10
Note (Provenance)
Susan Weil, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2019