About Robert Indiana

Robert Indiana has become world famous as an artist for his LOVE symbol, of which he has made several variations. The best-known variant is the square composition consisting of red letters with a blue or green shadow side, in which the letters LO are stacked on top of VE. The O is tilted, creating a playful effect. Although LOVE is best known as a sculpture, the first version of this artwork was designed as a two-dimensional drawing. Indiana used this design for hand drawn Christmas cards he sent to his friends in 1964. One of these friends was the art critic Gene Swenson, who was an early enthusiast and promoter of Pop Art, a movement to which Indiana belonged. During the same period Indiana was commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York to design their official Christmas card, which became the iconic Love in red lettering against a teal background. Although many people associate LOVE with romantic love, it appears that Indiana has been more inspired by (Christian) charity.

In 1970 the first LOVE sculpture was made in lacquered corten steel. In the following decades, more than fifty variations of this sculpture were designed, varying in colour and size, but also in language, such as the Spanish AMOR. There are also versions of other words such as HOPE. The latter work played an important role in Barack Obama’s presidential election. In addition to the words, Indiana has also made sculptures utilising numbers. During this edition of ARTZUID, a special version of LOVE can be seen in which the word is mirrored, so that even more charity will spread across Amsterdam.