The Huntington Library is so excited about their acquisition from Gagosian that they made a short film (click on the image to see it:)

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens announced today the acquisition of a major painting by Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008), who said it was a visit to the Huntington Art Gallery in the 1940s that inspired him to become an artist. Global Loft (Spread), 1979, a dynamic example of the groundbreaking artist’s “Spreads” series, will go on view in the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art on July 5, 2012.

“This is a tremendous day for American art at The Huntington,” said John Murdoch, Hannah and Russel Kully Director of the Huntington Art Collections. “This is our first purchase of a major painting representing the period in which American art was indubitably at the leading edge of international innovation. It means we are now pushing forward with the development of our collection on a much broader and more modern front. It is a wonderful pledge to our own future.”

The acquisition of Global Loft (Spread) was made possible by a gift from an anonymous donor for the purchase of American art made after 1945 in memory of Robert Shapazian (1943–2010), whose estate gave The Huntington Andy Warhol’s painting Small Crushed Campbell’s Soup Can (Beef Noodle), 1962  and Brillo Box, 1964, as well as a group of Brillo boxes by Pontus Hultén in 2010. Global Loft (Spread) is being acquired directly from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, represented by Gagosian Gallery.