“Rauschenberg: The 1/4 Mile”

See Robert Rauschenberg’s magnum opus, a nearly quarter-mile display of 190 painted panels, on display at LACMA. The piece was completed over the span of 17 years and signified the distance between his studio and home on Capitiva Island in Florida. LACMA’s exhibition marks the first time that all of the panels have been displayed together, and it’s easy to see why: the piece takes practically every surface of the museum’s third-floor gallery. A self-contained retrospective of sorts, the installation is displayed chronologically, but there’s no wrong way to navigate it. Fans of Rauschenberg will find something familiar in its mix of paint, photographs, mass media images, textiles, paint, cardboard boxes and found objects like chairs and traffic lights.