---
title: "🌈 Interwoven Lives: The Legacy of Five Visionaries"
subtitle: Exploring the Untold Connections That Shaped US Post-War Modern Art and Dance
image: rauschenberg.jpg
imageCaption: Robert Rauschenberg
event:
  session1: 2025-11-06 10:30
  session2: 2025-11-06 18:30
  venue: Museum Ludwig
  venueUrl: https://www.museum-ludwig.de/
  venueAddress: Heinrich-Böll-Platz, 50667 Köln
  fee: ArtTalks fee (28€ adults/8 € students, artists and kids)
  registrationInformation: "Register one week before the ArtTalk. Why? My ArtTalks are special; each ArtTalk is unique and requires time and resources to prepare for. Minimum number of ArtTalk participants: 5. Maximum number of ArtTalk participants: 15. I’ll send you an email two days before the event IF the AT will NOT take place. No email? We’re all set, and you’re in!"
  bankAccount: DE 17 6723 0000 4019 2455 50
  paymentInformation: "Please transfer the ArtTalk fee with your registration a week before the ArtTalk. If you pay and cannot attend, let me know before the ArtTalk, and I will transfer your money back to you."
  information: "Museum ticket price included for Cologne citizens on Long Museum Thursday. We’ll meet in the middle of the central foyer, in front of the main cashier, at the column with the BLUE dot🔵 Large bags (bigger than an A4 piece of paper) must be checked. Be 10 minutes early. Feel free to reach out to me Karla Schlaepfer: <info@art-talks.de> if you have any questions."
---

🎭 Five Friends: Art, Dance, and Revolution

Join us on Thursday, November 6th, at the renowned Museum Ludwig for a deep dive into the creative connections of John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy Twombly. This exhibition, _Five Friends_, reveals the overlooked network of friendships, influences, and collaborations that shaped postwar art, music, and dance.

💡 What to expect? Discover the groundbreaking stage sets created by Rauschenberg and Johns for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, showcasing their innovative approaches to art and performance. Delve into Twombly’s thought-provoking dialogues with Rauschenberg and Johns, and explore the profound theoretical influence of John Cage, whose devotion to Zen Buddhism shaped his revolutionary ideas about chance, silence, and art.

➡️This unique exhibit also sheds light on what it meant to be a gay artist in the 1950s, offering a fresh perspective on the cultural and societal dynamics of the era.

✨ Special for Cologne residents: As always, the first Thursday of the month is KölnTag, with free entry to the museum for Cologne citizens with valid ID.

As always, we’ll end our interactive ArtTalk with coffee or a glass of something nice 🍷, sharing insights and impressions in a relaxed atmosphere. Won’t you join us?

💡 Don’t miss out\!\
Spots are limited, so register today\!

📍 Meeting Point: Central foyer, by the column with the BLUE dot.\
💰 Fee: €25 adults \| €5 students, artists, and kids

Let’s celebrate the power of friendship and art together\! 🎨

Robert Rauschenberg
