Sotheby's spring auctions to include selection of works by Robert Rauschenberg

KOLKATA: Sotheby's spring auctions of Contemporary Art in New York on 14 & 15 May 2014 will feature a selection of works by Robert Rauschenberg sold to benefit the future and legacy of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. The four works stand as a monument to the spectacular artistic collaboration and friendship between the legendary dancer and choreographer, Paul Taylor, and Robert Rauschenberg - two towering cultural figures of the 20th century.

Two works will be offered on the evening of 14 May, including a rare Combine from circa 1954 (estimate $5/7 million, left), and two will be offered the following day. The group includes pieces that were gifted by the artist and one that was created especially for one of Paul Taylor's productions.

The auctions will follow the celebration of the dance company's 60th anniversary this March; a milestone that also commemorates the auspicious year that Taylor and Rauschenberg first met in a Manhattan gallery. Highlights will be shown at Sotheby's in Los Angeles in March and all four works will be exhibited in New York beginning 9 May.

Hugh Hildesley of Sotheby's who has served as the auctioneer at the Paul Taylor Dance Company annual benefit auction for the past eight years commented: ""It is most exciting for Sotheby's to present four superb Robert Rauschenberg works which translate the movement of dance into works of art to benefit the future and legacy of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. The sale in May gives us an opportunity to showcase this bridge between dance and the fine arts while at the same time celebrating Paul Taylor and his groundbreaking choreography.""