Mixed-Media

A general label for artworks made from more than one material. Combining materials—especially those associated with different mediums, such as painting and sculpture–is closely associated with a number of important developments in Modern art. Cubist collages, Marcel Duchamp's readymades, and Dada assemblage formed key precedents for later generations working in mixed-media. Notably, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns—commonly associated with Neo-Dada—were instrumental in including different media on the painted canvas in the 1950s and '60s. Installation, which emerged in the 1960s, continues to be a major practice in contemporary art and often includes a range of media. Central to many contemporary mixed-media works is the inclusion of materials that fall far outside the accepted mediums of art; a commonly-cited example is Damien Hirst's provocative use of dead animals in his sculptures.