Robert Indiana

(American, b. 1928)

“I was the least Pop of all the Pop artists.”
— Robert Indiana

Robert Indiana was an eminent developer of hard edge pop and assemblage art, who significantly affected the development of the Pop Art movement. He was best known for his iconic series of LOVE pop art sculptures.

He was born Robert Clark in New Castle, Indiana in 1928. His parents adopted him as an infant, and they moved around the state quite a bit during his youth. As a child, he began to show his artistic talent and his first grade teacher encouraged his growth. In 1942, Indiana attended the Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis and then served three years in the U.S. Air Force. Afterward he returned to study art, and attended multiple schools, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting located in Maine, and the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland.

Indiana relocated to New York in 1954, where he became acquainted with Ellsworth Kelly, and took up residence in Coenties Slip. Here he met several different artists, including Agnes Martin, and Jack Youngerman. The group had a strong impact on Indiana, and so did the environment. He was highly inspired by the ginkgo leaves found on the trees in the nearby park. He incorporated these leaves into his 19-foot mural Stavrosis. It was after the mural was complete that the artist took the name of his home state and used it as his own. In addition to murals, he also created hanging sculptures. Indiana hunted for art materials in abandoned warehouses and used objects like beams and metal wheels to create what he called “herms”, or freestanding sculptures.

Indiana became one of the most creative artists of his generation, and his unique pieces gained admiration quickly. Numerous galleries and museums featured his work, including the Martha Jackson Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Sidney Janis Gallery. The art world increasingly recognized him as a leader of Pop. Indiana continued to address political and social issues through references within his pieces. Some of Indiana’s other notable projects include EAT, his 20-foot sign for the New York World’s Fair and the 1964 film Eat, produced by Andy Warhol, which features Indiana eating a mushroom in his studio. In 1977, he created a steel Hebrew version of the LOVE sculpture, which remains at the Art Garden in Jerusalem, Israel. Indiana was also the artist behind the HOPE series, described as “LOVE’s close relative”, raising over one million dollars for Barack Obama’s campaign.

Robert Indiana passed away of suspected respiratory failure on May 19, 2018 in his home on Vinalhaven Island off the coast of Maine. His collections are in permanent and temporary collections in galleries and museums worldwide.

American Fine Art, Inc. is proud to feature the original works and limited editions of Robert Indiana. Visit our 12,000 sq. ft. showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona or call today. Our website is offered only as a limited place to browse or refresh your memory and is not a reflection of our current inventory. To learn more about collecting, pricing, value, or any other art information, please contact one of our International Art Consultants. We look forward to giving you the one on one attention you deserve when building your fine art collection. We hope you find our website helpful and look forward to seeing you in Scottsdale soon.