About The Art

This exhibition features the art of Robert Rauschenberg and three artists who admired and celebrated him, Eric Forstmann, Don Gummer, and Diana Levinson. Jane Coats Eckert, Eckert Fine Art came to Dr. Louis Zona in 2023 about an exhibition revolving around the art of Robert Rauschenberg who they both knew personally for many years. The exhibition pays tribute to his impact upon these three artists: Eric Forstmann, Don Gummer and Diana Levinson.

 Reception: June 8, 2025 from 1-3pm

Eric Forstmann , b. 1962, Warren, CT, studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston under the tutelage of Barnett Rubenstein and Henry Schwartz. In addition to his many solo exhibitions, Eric has had five one-man shows at the following institutions: The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio; The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri; The Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science in Evansville, Indiana; the Mattatuck Museum of Waterbury, Connecticut and Brenau Galleries at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. His work has been featured at Art Fairs in Miami, Palm Beach, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Houston, San Francisco and New York City.

Don Gummer, born in 1946, is an American sculptor. His early work concentrated on table-top and wall-mounted sculpture. In the mid-1980s, he shifted his focus to significant free-standing works, often in bronze. In the 1990s, he added various other materials, such as stainless steel, aluminum, and stained glass. His interest in large outdoor works also led him to an interest in public art.

Diana Levinson, born in 1949, is a Los Angeles-based painter and printmaker whose work explores what she calls “the battle between chaos and control.” She attended the San Francisco Art Institute and the Art Students League of New York. She has exhibited at The Butler Institute of American Art, Katonah Museum, and Eckert Fine Art. Known for her large-scale canvases and intricate etchings, Levinson lives in Los Angeles with her husband, filmmaker Barry Levinson, and works from a studio she calls her sanctuary.

Dr. Louis Zona, Executive Director says, “The influence that Robert Rauschenberg has had on entire generations of artists is impressive to say the least. Beyond introducing a universe of materials which he turned into what became his “combines” inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s  Ready Mades. In using materials cast off from society, he led the way toward Pop Art, Conceptual Art, Minimalism and even the New Realism.

             Robert Rauschenberg’s long association with his mentor, Marcell Duchamp would transform the art world in dramatic fashion. But Rauschenberg would also provide a generation of artists with creative juices that carried them into and through art movements of post war America. Artists such as Eric Forstmann, Diana Levinson and Don Gummer are outstanding examples of that magic touch which Rauschenberg regularly delivered to so many artists of the era. His brilliance knew no boundaries.”

 “Most people know Robert Rauschenberg as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. While that is indisputable, to me he was much more. Beyond his talent as a groundbreaking artist was an inquisitive, witty, and charismatic man who I was lucky enough to call a friend.

So, in this centennial year of Rauschenberg’s birth, we come together again at the beautiful Butler Institute of American Art for Touched by Rauschenberg, a show featuring the art of Rauschenberg and of three artists who admired and celebrated him.” -Jane Coats Eckert, Guest Curator

“His work was, is, and will be singular in the influence and permission given to generations of artists. Myself included.” -Eric Forstmann

“Using everyday images and objects, his compositions are beautiful, mysterious, topical, thoughtful and ironic.” -Don Gummer

“I’ve always admired how Bob brought painting and printmaking together so fluidly. That openness to materials, to contradictions, to the unexpected has stayed with me.” -Diana Levinson

This exhibition is in the Bacon Wing, Bacon Grand Gallery and John MacIntosh Galleries, and sponsored in part by PNC Foundation.

CATEGORIES: Exhibition

DATE: June 8, 2025 - August 24, 2025

LOCATION: Bacon Wing, Bacon Grand Gallery, & John MacIntosh Gallery

TRUSTEES CIRCLE RECEPTION & DEDICATION: June 7th, 2025 from 6-8pm (RSVP 234-228-8521 or email sydneybraatz@butlerart.com)