Robert Indiana

1928-2018 US

Robert Indiana, originally named Robert Clark, was a prominent figure in the Pop Art movement, hailing from New Castle, Indiana and adopted at birth by Earl Clark and Carmen Watters. The separation of his biological parents led him to move to Indianapolis with his father, where he attended and graduated as valedictorian from Arsenal Technical High School.

Following service for three years in the military, he pursued art education at the Art Institute of Chicago, before moving abroad to Scotland, where he attended Edinburgh University and Edinburgh College of Art. By 1954, he had made his way back to the United States and established his residence in New York City. He quickly became immersed in the vibrant scene of New York’s artistic circles, befriending Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly and many other top players in the burgeoning Pop Art Movement.

The year 1964 marked the inception of Indiana's most renowned work, the LOVE image, which he initially shared as a holiday card with friends and colleagues in the art community. The following year, he presented several variations of the LOVE image to the Museum of Modern Art for their annual Christmas card. His vivid red, blue, and green version captivated the museum, leading to one of their best-selling cards. Indiana's exploration of the LOVE theme continued, culminating in the creation of an aluminum LOVE sculpture in 1966 and a monumental Cor-Ten steel sculpture in 1970, now housed at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. In 1973, the United States Postal Service further immortalized his design by issuing an eight-cent LOVE stamp for Valentine's Day, which was celebrated with an unveiling at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The stamp's popularity soared, resulting in the printing of 425 million copies over two years.

Indiana's artistic endeavors extended beyond painting and sculpture; he engaged in creating posters, prints, and theatrical design, and producing stage sets and costumes for the opera. His work has gained international recognition, gracing exhibitions worldwide and being included in the permanent collections of most major institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate Modern in London, Lòs Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.