Lot Essay
Booster, arguably Robert Rauschenberg's most important print, is the culminating print in the first series of prints, Booster and 7 Studies, produced at Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles. Many of the images from the 7 Studies, the drills, chair, launching pad and the Dante man can be found in Booster. At the time of its production, the autobiographical Booster was the largest lithograph ever printed on a hand-operated lithographic press. The dimensions were determined by the full scale x-ray of the artist at the center of the image. Superimposed on the x-ray is a chart for the year 1967 documenting the movements of heavenly bodies by the day and year. This is the first time the complete set Booster and 7 Studies has been offered at auction.