[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NICK LAMPSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 12, 1998

  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, it is with tremendous pride that I 
recognize a native of Port Arthur, Texas who has gone forth into the 
world and become a legend in the world of art. Robert Rauschenberg is 
the first American to win the prestigious Venice Biennale Grant Prize, 
as well as the first living American artist to have his work published 
on the cover of Time Magazine. In a career that has spanned the latter 
half of this century, Robert Rauschenberg's groundbreaking work has 
been included in the most prestigious collections and won awards around 
the world.
  Robert has used his artistic voice to benefit humanitarian causes. He 
created the first Earth Day poster in 1970. In 1990, he established the 
Robert Rauschenberg Foundation to promote medical research, education, 
the environment, and to aid the hungry and homeless in the United 
States and across the globe.
  This weekend, Robert Rauschenberg will be honored in Houston for the 
greatness of his life's work. Though Robert left Port Arthur to seek 
his fortune in the world, he is a symbol of the greatness that lurks 
within each child. A child who grows up among oil refineries became one 
of the most important artists of his generation. He is a native of our 
area and we are duly proud, but we know that Robert Rauschenberg, 
through his work, belongs to the world and to the ages.

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