Robert Indiana
1928–2018
, New Castle, Indiana
Robert Indiana was a major figure in American Pop Art. Language, numbers and symbols form the basis of his work, through which he explored themes including American identity, love, power and politics. He was part of the New York art scene of the 1960s, alongside artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
His best-known image is LOVE, with its characteristic tilted O, which he developed across paintings, prints and sculptures. In series such as Numbers and works including EAT/DIE, Indiana similarly used simple words and signs as powerful visual forms. His distinctive combination of typography, geometry and colour made him one of the iconic artists of American Pop Art.