Robert Indiana

Rebecca Donaldson & Associates, Chicago
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in good condition. The canvas is well stretched and the colors are vibrant. There is evidence of a faint surface abrasion in the right edge approximately 10 inches from the right corner. There is a horizontal mark running from the top star on the left to the top star on the right and a vertical mark extending 4 inches above the E of the word "YIELD" on the right. There is evidence of wear along the extreme corners. There is evidence of two faint scratches, one in the lower corner and one on the T of the word "MOTHER". Under ultra-violet inspection, there is an area of drying cracks in the center of the composition, barely visible under normal light condition. Otherwise, there is no evidence of inpainting under ultra-violet inspection. Framed in a silver metal frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The American Pop artist Robert Indiana is widely celebrated for his sixties LOVE paintings and sculptures yet this is just one of many iconic symbols within his extensive and powerful repertoire.  Indiana's LOVE motif was initially conceived during the Vietnam war and became categorically linked with the peace movement of the 1960s.  In 1963, Indiana incorporated the inverted trident of the universally recognized peace symbol in his paintings and added text that included the overtly political Yield Brother.  The original Yield Brother was executed for a benefit exhibition for the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation which was established that same year.  This was the first of a subsequent series of Yields (enlarging the phrase to Sister, Mother and Father) which were given to the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation.  However as Indiana remarked, "In Yield Brother, there is no 'brother' to 'yield'." (Exh. Cat., Nice, Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain, Robert Indiana Retrospective 1958-1998, June-November 1998, p. 21)

These brilliantly colored, often intricately patterned artworks are a bold statement on how Indiana's oeuvre is involved with the rhetoric of American dream and shaped by the artist's intense engagement with American literature.  Indiana's visual language emerges from his tendency to recall his life in story within a deceptively simple canvases patterned by recognizable symbols or text.  The simple incorporation of words in painting, yet not particularly their meaning, took on an exaggerated importance.  Drawing on the multiple aspects of the world of advertising and road signs of the American Dream, by illuminating the enigmas in Indiana's word and image combination, one can attempt to explain the longevity of these symbols and their powerful influence. One view expressed is that "a first layer of meaning – the universal road sign language, supposed to "yield" one identical message to all – is highjacked by a highly politicized, and polemical anti-Vietnam war sign, which may send the same message to all, although it does so by announcing very clearly on what side of the road the messenger is standing: all of a sudden, this universally understandable sign stands for Peace, for anti-Nixon protests, for an end to the American involvement in Vietnam, or for human rights activism" (ibid, p. 19).

Later in 2003, Indiana would revisit his 'PEACE' paintings in response to the current political atmosphere and employed the compositions of the original Yield Brother works and the peace sign.   A critical theme in the context of the oeuvre, it is concluded that "successive layers of meanings are overlaid upon each other in the creation of this work.  The first has to do with the "Yield" road sign.  Indiana simply explains: "Arrogant admonition of the American highway, by far the most provocative of all road signs, emblazoned too on that unexpected shape: the descending triangle" (ibid., pp. 18-19).