caption death_date death_place birth_place image_size birth_date image article_title name occupation
iris clert posing atop '' le plein '' 1986 cannes athens 225px c. 1917 iris_clert_le_plein . jpg iris clert
 iris clert gallery owner , curator , socialite
iris clert

iris clert -lrb- ; c. 1917 -- 1986 -rrb- was the owner of the galerie iris clert from 1955 to 1971 .
during its tenure , her gallery became an avant-garde hotspot in the international art scene , particularly to yves klein , jean tinguely and arman .
originally of greek nationality , clert became an overnight socialite with the success of her gallery .
clert was active in the french resistance during the second world war .
in 1961 , robert rauschenberg , who would become one of the forerunners of the neo-dada movement , was invited to participate in an exhibition at the galerie , in which the artists were to create and display a portrait of iris clert .
rauschenberg proceeded to send a telegram to the galerie , containing the words `` this is a portrait of iris clert if i say so / robert rauschenberg '' .
this was a significant move for rauschenberg and the artistic community , signifying a step away from the dadaist work of marcel duchamp and jasper johns - which tended to focus on the role of the `` observer '' in applying meaning to a work of art - and toward a more active role of the `` creator '' in defining art 's meaning .
