Robert Indiana (1928-2018) was a pre-eminent figure of American Pop art best known for his masterpiece, the iconic "LOVE".
Captivated by the mythology of the American dream, Indiana engaged with everyday objects, words, symbols, and commercial graphic designs (like logos) and quickly became associated with the Pop Art movement. His oeuvre consists of bold, simple subjects including numbers, symbols, or capitalized short words (i.e. EAT, HUG, LOVE) executed in vivid primary colors. Indiana's first solo show took place in 1962 at the Stable Gallery in New York, the same gallery that hosted Andy Warhol's first solo show.
On the surface "LOVE" appears accessible, optimistic, and almost minimalist; but it holds complex underpinnings of erotic, religious, autobiographical, and political meaning. "LOVE" marked Indiana's return to both single-word text art and the use of a quartered, structured canvas after several years of focusing on circular compositions.
Upon its unveiling, "LOVE" quickly permeated the popular consciousness, becoming emblematic of the idealistic and free-loving hippie movement of the 1960's. The image decorated MoMA's best selling Christmas card, and was adopted as a US postage stamp. In 1970, Indiana unveiled the first sculptural incarnation of "Love" at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Today this timeless work with universal appeal remains one of the most famous and sought after artworks of the 20th century. In 2011 one of the "Love" sculpture's set a new auction record by breaking $4.1 million.
In the artist's own words, "The LOVE is a concrete poem as far as I'm concerned. Just a one word poem. Love is a noun and a verb and so one must decide what my love is. It's a command, love, and it's a subject, love."
Robert Indiana's works can be found in the permanent collections of the most prestigious institutions around the world including The Whitney (NY), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LA), Museum of Modern Art (NY), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), Albright-Knox Gallery (Buffalo), and the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam) among many others.
Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto Gallery.
"Love" from The Book of Love portfolio
USA, 1996
Screenprint on A.N.W. Crestwood Museum Edition paper
Signed, numbered, and dated in pencil by the artist
Number 59 from an edition of 200
Published by American Image Edition, New York
24"H 20"W (work)
26"H 25.25"W (framed)
Very good condition
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