Robert Indiana

Morgan Art Foundation (acquired directly from the artist)
Private Collection
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

 

Simon Salama-Caro, et. al., Robert Indiana, New York 2006, p. 252, illustration of another example in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is slightly warmer in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Close inspection reveals there is a small inconsistency in the lacquer to the top edge of the E faintly visible in the catalogue illustration. There is a very thin and short line of oxidation to the back sloping edge of the V.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Robert Indiana’s Love is one of the most iconic artworks of the twentieth century, a gloriously immutable symbol of peace and goodwill that remains instantly recognisable worldwide. The polished bronze of the present example gleams tantalisingly, bringing to mind connotations of luxury and indulgence, whilst the impressive solidity of the four simple letters, which combine to form one of the most powerful words in the lexicon of the English language, is reinforced by the use of the hard, solid metal. Only the ‘O,’ tilting playfully away from its fellows, alters the dynamics of the piece slightly, its prominence suggestive perhaps of the importance of the circle in Indiana’s oeuvre, traditionally representing a clock face and so, correspondingly, functioning as an indicator of the endless phases of time.

One of the abiding themes of Indiana’s career has been his fascination with signs and their place within an historical and social context. His earliest works were inspired by commercial signage, in particular the stencilled letters found on packaging, and the Love series was a direct heir to his realisation of the graphic potential of the sign: divorced from their everyday meaning by prolonged study and removed from their original context, numbers and letters acquired a form of artistic beauty as shapes and silhouettes in their own right. Indiana referred to this concept in direct connection with Love: "In a sense… I got down to the subject matter of my work… The subject is defined by its expression in the word itself… Love is purely a skeleton of all that word has meant in all the erotic and religious aspects of the theme, and to bring it down to the actual structure of the calligraphy [is to reduce it] to the bare bones" (The artist cited in: Theresa Brakeley, Ed., Robert Indiana, New York 1990, p.168). Viewed in this light Love becomes almost abstract in nature, a sculpture composed of sinuous curves in combination with sharply straight lines to create an object of great beauty.

Indiana later recalled the genesis of the Love series, referencing the spiritual elements behind the creation of its earliest manifestations: "The reason I became so involved in [it] is that it is so much a part of the peculiar American environment, particularly in my own background, which was Christian Scientist. ‘God is Love’ is spelled out in every church" (The artist cited in: Ibid p. 154). Love can thus be seen as an affectionate homage to the childhood influences Indiana encountered whilst living in the state from whence he adopted his name; indeed, the first commission he received on the theme, in 1964, was to create an image for a museum that was opening in a converted church. The resulting work, Love is God, neatly inverted the message from the religious signboards that had made such an impact on the young Indiana. It was only a short developmental step after this to the discovery of the eponymous square Love motif, which was first exhibited in 1966 and quickly achieved immense popularity. The quadrilateral Loves seemed to tap into the cultural zeitgeist of the times, paralleling the rise of hippie culture and the corresponding liberation of social mores, a shaking off of prior conventions that culminated in the so called ‘Summer of Love’ in 1967. Yet whilst the ideas of ‘free love’ and ‘flower power’ are now somewhat dated, Indiana’s Love remains a timeless symbol of a universal concept, one to which the entire condition of humanity continues to aspire.