The 1960s saw a wave of excitement surrounding space travel that climaxed in the successful landings on the moon in 1969. To help make its adventures more accessible to the public, NASA commissioned artists to explore the subject. Rauschenberg traveled to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to witness the launch of the Apollo 11 mission. NASA provided him with the related charts, maps, and photographs that he used to make the Stoned Moon series of thirty-four lithographs, of which Sky Garden is the most monumental. This work suggests the sense of wonder tinged with apprehension that many Americans felt about the relationship between man and technology during this historic period.
Gallery label from From the Collection: 1960-69, March 26, 2016 - March 12, 2017.
