Plate (page 17) from Traces Suspectes en Surface

autumn 1970

Moves to Captiva for good

From the autumn of 1970 the Captiva house became Rauschenberg's permanent home and studio. The first works made there were the “Cardboards” (1971–72) and “Early Egyptians” (1973–74) series, from locally sourced cardboard and sand: instead of urban imagery he now favoured the natural fibres of fabric and paper.

1970

Sets up Change, Inc. to help artists

Rauschenberg created Change, Inc., a programme awarding one-time emergency grants of up to $1,000 to visual artists in financial need.

1970

Helps create the Pepsi Pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka

Rauschenberg took part in creating the Pepsi Pavilion for the 1970 World Exposition in Osaka; the opening was directed by the choreographer and artist Remy Charlip.

1973

The Scull auction and the fight for artists' royalties

In 1973 the taxi baron Robert Scull sold Rauschenberg's paintings “Thaw” and “Double Feature”, bought for $900 and $2,500, for $85,000 and $90,000 at Sotheby Parke Bernet. The artist took up the fight for resale royalties for artists (droit de suite), lobbying the US Congress for a law.

1976

California passes the artists' resale royalty law

Rauschenberg's lobbying was rewarded when the California governor Jerry Brown signed the California Resale Royalty Act of 1976. The artist went on to press for nationwide resale-royalty legislation.

1976–1978

Retrospective in Washington and a US tour

A mid-career retrospective was organised by the National Collection of Fine Arts (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum) in Washington and toured the United States in 1976–1978. Other accounts date its opening to 1977; the artist showed his best-known works there.