Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Executive Director Christy MacLear joined First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House on Tuesday, February 10, to celebrate the installation of Rauschenberg’s Early Bloomer [Anagram (A Pun)], 1998. Also included in the White House Dining Room are works by artists Anni Albers, Josef Albers, and Alma Thomas. The installation is now open to the public. 

This work, part of a series Rauschenberg made using digital color transfers, was donated in honor of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in 2011. It was first unveiled during the Celebration of American Art presentation, hosted by Michelle Obama at the White House on June 5, 2013. Early Bloomer [Anagram (A Pun)] is one of the first works of contemporary art to be displayed in the public rooms of the White House. 

Also on Tuesday, former Vice President Walter Mondale attended the Open Studio at the Rauschenberg Residency on Captiva Island, Florida. During his visit to the residency, Mondale enjoyed presentations by vocalist Somi, musician Hervé Samb, performance artist Laurie Anderson, and actor Cheryl Lynn Bruce, and he viewed works by visual artists Manal AlDowayan, Kim Faler, Ann Hamilton, Brad Kahlhamer, Mario Martinez, and Carrie Mae Weems.