Robert Indiana
Robert Indiana (1928–2018), born Robert Clark, was an American painter and sculptor associated with Pop art. He used words, numbers and symbols to explore personal memories and American life. His best-known design is LOVE, with its letters arranged in a square and its O tilted.[1]
Life and work
Born in New Castle, Indiana, he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago after military service and later worked in New York City. He adopted the surname Indiana in 1958, referring to his home state.[2]
His The Figure Five (1963) responds to an earlier painting by Charles Demuth and, through it, to a poem by William Carlos Williams.[3] The LOVE motif appeared in a 1964 greeting card and in a card commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art the following year; it also became the subject of paintings and sculptures.[1]
Indiana died on 19 May 2018, aged 89.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Elizabeth Botten. “Archives Reveal Touching Stories on the Life of Robert Indiana, the Man Who Invented ‘LOVE’”. Smithsonian Magazine, 2018. Accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ Smithsonian American Art Museum. “Robert Indiana”. Artist record and biography. Accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ Smithsonian American Art Museum. The Figure Five. Object record 1984.51 and exhibition label (2006).