Robert Clark Indiana (American, b. 1928)Attributed: LOVE. Gouache on paper, signed lower right, verso bears a stamp from 'The Art Show CA' and inventory notation, framed.

Robert Indiana was part of the generation of pop artists who emerged in the early 1960s — including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and James Rosenquist, all of whom were known for their bold visual images drawn heavily from pop culture. In 1964, Mr. Indiana began to experiment with the word “Love,” using capital letters, one atop another, with the “O” learning toward the right. The image first appeared on Christmas cards from the Museum of Modern Art in 1965, followed soon afterward by a painting in red, green and blue. Some critics said Mr. Indiana’s greatest contribution was in making the visual meaning of his work indistinguishable from the verbal. “What set him apart, and one of his greatest achievements, is that he fused the image and the text,” René Paul Barilleaux, a museum curator in Texas, told the San Antonio Express-News in 2014. “Like ‘LOVE,’ you can’t take away the letters without the entire image collapsing.” Robert Indiana, whose career was defined — and limited — by one of the most familiar images of the 1960s — the word LOVE — which appeared in paintings, sculptures, greeting cards and postage stamps, died May 19, 2018 at his home on the island of Vinalhaven, Maine. He was 89. The size of this small painting and its medium of gouache suggest that it is a possible color study for a finished work.

Dimensions: 8.25 x 7.75" Paper/ 15.75 x 15.5" Framed.

Private collection, Rhode Island

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