— A mixed-medium painter who was a member of the NASA Art Program and who joined an effort to sneak artwork to the moon will be the first artist celebrated in a new gallery opening in July at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

"The Ascent of Rauschenberg: Reinventing the Art of Flight" is one of two new exhibitions that will inaugurate use of the newly-renovated Flight and the Arts Center in the museum's flagship building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The showcase of 30 of Robert Rauschenberg's paintings, including several that have rarely been displayed, will open during the centennial celebration of his birth.

"We are excited to present 'The Ascent of Rauschenberg' and offer a richer understanding of Robert Rauschenberg's innovative techniques, sustained legacy and unique perspective on all things that fly," Carolyn Russo, art curator at the National Air and Space Museum and author of the accompanying exhibition catalog by the same title, said in a statement. "As visitors step into the Flight and the Arts Center, they will not only encounter evocative artworks but also engage with the stories, histories and emotional landscapes that accompany [them]."

Rauschenberg, who is well known for using everyday objects as art materials, often returned to the theme of flight throughout his career, viewing it as a "metaphor for human ambition, collaboration and imagination." He was also among a number of artists who joined NASA's Fine Arts Program, which afforded unprecedented access to the agency's centers and activities in return for creating artworks that exposed and educated the public to space exploration.

The exhibition includes the lithograph and screenprint "Sky Garden," a 1969 piece by Rauschenberg that features the Apollo 7 Saturn IB rocket in the form of a labeled blueprint that is overlayed with other NASA scenes, and "White Walk," a 1970 lithograph incorporating a photo of Gemini IV astronaut Ed White on the first American spacewalk five years earlier.

One piece unavailable for display but which is represented in photos is "Moon Museum," a small ceramic wafer that includes miniature works by Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Forrest "Frosty" Myers and others. In November 1969, the chip landed on the moon after an engineer smuggled the piece on board the Apollo 12 lunar module.

"The smallest piece I have ever made is also the furthest away," wrote Rauschenberg of what was essentially a straight line in 2001, responding to a young student's questions. "I made a piece that is approximately 1-inch by 1/2-inch. It was flown to the moon to the moon by NASA and stored there for future discovery."

The yearlong exhibition includes works on loan from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

The National Air and Space Museum's Flight and the Arts Center comprise two floors; the Rauschenberg exhibition will be on the second floor and "The Art of Air and Space" will be on the first. This second premiere exhibition will feature over 75 works of art from the Smithsonian's collection, organized by artistic movements and themes in aviation and space flight.

Some of the artists to be featured in the gallery include Ay-Ō, Richard Estes, Francisco Goya, Man Ray, Norman Rockwell, Alma Thomas, Annie Leibovitz and William Wegman. There are over 7,000 artworks in the National Air and Space Museum collection.

The exhibitions are timed with the next phase of completions in the museum's multi-year, on-going renovation, the 50th anniversary since its opening in 1976 and the 250 years since the founding of the country. Support for the Flight and the Arts Center was provided by The Hillside Foundation—Allan and Shelley Holt.