Robert Indiana - Selected Press by ContiniArtUk

Robert Indiana Selected Press

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October 2015

London art: exhibitions not to

iss

this month

SOPHY GRIMSHAW

05 October 2015

With Frieze in full swing, October is the biggest month in London’s art calendar. Here’s what you can see in the capital at, and beyond, the global art fair

Robert Indiana: Don’t Lose HOPE When? 16 October–31 January 2016 Where? ContiniArtUK, 105 New Bond Street What? You might know Robert Indiana best for his iconic sculptures and prints of the word ‘Love’, but the clue is in the name of this show, including — but not limited to — his work with the word ‘hope’.

In Robert Indiana’s universe, love and hope grow on trees. Indiana is widely celebrated as an eminent figure of American Pop Art—known, in particular, for cleverly utilizing advertising imagery to subvert popular culture and consumption. His most recent sculptures and screenprints are editioned replicas of his own iconic “LOVE” works from the ’60s and “HOPE” pieces that he first created during Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008. Over the past few years, Indiana has created paintings and sculptures of individual letters in what has become his signature font. So in a sense, the words that have become as associative as the very images that he initially set out to lampoon, have become further disassembled, catering to the collector’s desire to make the object his or her own.

The show, “Don’t Lose HOPE,” is similarly aware of the culture of mass production of artist editions. Upon entry to the first floor of the exhibition, 16 silkscreens line the walls with Indiana’s recognizable, almost kaleidoscopic visions of hope. Twelve sculptures in aluminium stand stoic on pedestals; among them is a special edition of the largest HOPE sculpture, now in several prominent public locations around the world. In its red and blue varnish, it speaks to America, and possibly, to the Union Jack of Indiana’s brief past in the United Kingdom (he studied at the Edinburgh College of Art). The word repeats itself with such vigor that standing before the works, its optimism seems to shift into desperation.

Downstairs, more letters can be seen, but two works on paper from 1945, hanging together on a lone wall, stand out amid the loudness of color. One work portrays a woman waiting at a bus depot, while the other shows another woman on a bus. Rendered in a social realist style inspired by Reginald Marsh, the images offer up protagonists behind the abundance of typographical works. Though figurative in style and narrative in nature, the world Indiana depicts in these paintings, filled with desires and class politics, is not unrelated to the world that his text works evoke. The letters, after all, are forced to conform, to fit in the square that contains them, in the lexicon that dictates their shape. —Himali Singh Soin “Don’t Lose HOPE” is on view at Contini Art UK, Oct. 13, 2015 - Jan. 31, 2016. Follow Contini Art UK on Artsy.

FOOSANER MUSEUM PRESENTS “POP ART IN AMERICA” EXHIBITION

THIS SUMMER, UNTIL AUGUST 30, ART GOES POP AT THE FOOSANER ART MUSEUM, LOCATED IN THE EAU GALLIE ARTS DISTRICT.

The exhibition, drawn from the collection of the NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, includes works by artists at the heart of the the American Pop Art movement: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, Larry Rivers, Jim Dine, and Robert Indiana. The term “Pop Art” was first used in print by British writer and curator Lawrence Alloway in 1955 to describe a new form of “popular” art – a movement characterized by imagery borrowed from consumerism and popular culture. Pop Art emerged in London in the mid-’50s and during the latter part of that decade in New York. By the late ’60s, it had become the dominant avant-garde style. Artists in the movement tried to target a broad audience by using images that were easy to recognize and understand. Drawing from consumer packaging and borrowing images from popular films and TV programs, Pop Art, with its modern feel and use of bold colors, revolutionized the way we look and think about art. Andy Warhol hardly needs an introduction; virtually everyone is familiar with one or another of his works, but the depth of the simple images he produced – and reproduced – is often misunderstood.

But Warhol did not simply paint representations of just any object. An active process of selection seems to inform his work, and his images are largely based on those iconic commodities of everyday life we all know, but never truly examine. His large body of work in many ways steered the eventual development of Pop Art as we understand it today. Roy Lichtenstein, another giant of the movement, employed a procedure that lay in the enlargement and unification of his source material â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whether its original purpose was to tell a story or sell a consumer product â&#x20AC;&#x201C; on the basis of strict artistic principles. Lichtenstein emphasized that comic strips and advertisements were not realist, as is often assumed, but highly artificial pictures that convey their messages with a sparing use of pictorial conventions. A constant if restrained irony and a gentle sense of humour contribute just as much to the cheerful lightness of Lichtensteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work as the balanced, completely harmonious composition.

Likewise, the lesser-known James Rosenquist took as his inspiration the subject and style of modern commercial culture. Through a complex layering of such motifs as Coca-Cola bottles, kitchen appliances, packaged foods, and women’s lipsticked mouths and manicured hands, Rosenquist’s large canvases and prints embody and comment on the dizzying omnipresence of the consumer world. As well as being a painter, Larry Rivers, was also a sculptor, jazz saxophonist, writer, poet, teacher, and sometime actor and filmmaker whose work both intrigued and appalled viewers with its bold, almost crude forms, and titillating subject matter. After moving to New York in 1958, Jim Dine instantly became an active figure in the New York art scene, creating and staging many of the first “Happenings” along with artists Claes Oldenburg and Robert Whitman. His images are simple, warmly colored rendering of shapes and symbols rendered into harmonious and seemingly jarring patterns that recall the work of Paul Klee decades before him. Born Robert Clark in Indiana, Robert Indiana took his native state’s name after moving to New York in 1954, a gesture that presaged his Pop-inspired fascination with Americana, signage, and the power of ordinary words. Few Pop images are more widely recognized than his LOVE prints. Originally designed as a Christmas card commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art in 1965, LOVE has appeared in prints, paintings, sculptures, banners, rings, tapestries, and stamps. Selected works from these and other Pop artists will be on display at the Foosaner through August 30. The exhibition is augmented by a July 16 showing of the film “Andy Warhol: The Complete Picture,” a screening of “Easy Rider” on August 20, and a Pop Art Family Day event t be held on August 22. The Foosaner Art Museum is located in the Eau Gallie Arts District at 1463 Highland Ave. in Melbourne. Call (321) 674-8916 or visit www.foosanerartmuseum.org

Published: 30 May 2015 http://thebeachsideresident.com/2015/05/foosaner-museum-presents-pop-art-inamerica-exhibition/

Exhibition of Pop Art Opens May 30 at Foosaner Art Museum

POP ART IN AMERICA BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA — “Pop Art in America” will open a three-month run on Saturday, May 30, at Florida Institute of Technology’s Foosaner Art Museum, showcasing works from Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, Roy Lichtenstein and other icons of the influential 1960s-era movement. The exhibition is organized by the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale. “Pop Art in America” will be complemented by works from the Foosaner’s permanent collection featured in a secondary exhibition, “Pop Artists and Friends.” Pop Art was the dominant avant-garde style in the late 1960s. Drawing from consumer packaging and borrowing images from popular film and TV programs, Pop Art, with this commercial appropriation and use of bold colors, revolutionized the way we looked at and thought about art. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the United States experienced a period of cultural revolution. Activists, intellectuals and artists were rethinking and reacting to the status quo. Pop artists, in marked contrast with the dominant postwar art movement Abstract Expressionism, found inspiration in the world around them, representing—and, at times, making art directly from—ordinary items, consumer goods, and mass media. Using primary colors and adopting commercial methods of production (photography and silk screening), Pop artists favored everyday imagery and heavy doses of irony and wit. “Pop Art in America” will be on view through Aug. 30. Published: 27 May 2015 http://spacecoastdaily.com/2015/05/exhibition-of-pop-art-opens-may-30-at-foosaner-art-museum/

Strong Demand for Pop-Art and Op-Art at Bonhams

New York—There was strong demand for Pop-art and Op-art works at Bonhams’ 33 lot Post-War and Contemporary Art sale in New York on 12 May which raised more than $3.5 million.

Robert Indiana’s iconic work, LOVE outstripped expectations and fetched $653,000, racing past its high estimate of $250,000. The winning bid was placed in the room after a prolonged bidding war. The image is one of Indiana’s most recognizable and is still ubiquitous even half a century after its creation. Victor Vasarely’s hypnotic optical works sold well: OND-III, a 1968 acrylic on canvas, achieved $251,000, over two times its high estimate of $120,000; and Attam, a 1979 acrylic work realized $155,000, over 2.5 times the high estimate. Jeremy Goldsmith, Director of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Bonhams commented, “We saw competitive bidding for Robert Indiana’s LOVE painting, which brilliantly illustrates the strength and depth of the market for iconic PopArt. Furthermore, the energetic bidding that realized prices well over the high estimates for works by Victor Vasarely demonstrated a renewed and revitalized interest in the artist and Op-Art in general.”

The auction’s highest-selling lot was Alexander Calder’s spectacular sculpture, The Mountain (1960) that sold for $845,000, past the high estimate. Calder, one of America’s greatest artists, shows his unparalleled mastery of line and balance in The Mountain by creating a sculpture that crafts a landscape out of form and air. It was by 1934, after producing a series of wire works and developing his mobiles, that Calder began constructing self-supporting, abstract sculptures—nicknamed ‘stabiles’ by Jean Arp—of which The Mountain is a magnificent example. Additional high points of the evening include: • Homage to the Square: “Suspended,” a 1953 work by Josef Albers that represents the artist’s 25-year examination of color and its optical and compositional components, which realized $485,000. • A beautiful stainless steel and aluminum sculpture by Frank Stella called Lejak that achieved $102,500, well past its high estimate of $70,000. The sculpture is from the Bali Series and demonstrates Stella’s lifelong goal of achieving a synergy between painting, sculpture, and architecture. The next Post-War & Contemporary art sale will be held in London in July. Image: SOLD for $653,000: Robert Indiana, LOVE, 1965, oil on canvas.

Published: 15 May 2015 http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/press/2015/05/strong-demand-for-pop-art-and-op-art-at-bonhams.phtml

HOPE sculpture finds holiday home in Chicago 02 November, 2011

Hope landed on Michigan Avenue Wednesday morning via a series of cranes and forklifts, eased into place with the help of construction workers.

The HOPE sculpture by iconic artist Robert Indiana, best known for his numerous block-letter iterations of the word LOVE (including postage stamps), was installed in the plaza at the Hancock Center and will remain on view through the holiday season . The sculpture debuted at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in tandem with then presidential-hopeful Barack Obama's "Hope" campaign, and will continue to tour until it ultimately lands at the Smithsonian. Indiana, 83, said Tuesday that his "traveling days are just about over" and he won't make it to Chicago to see the sculpture. A 1953 graduate of the School of the Art Institute, Indiana said his ties to Chicago run deep. 71

He last visited in 1995 in conjunction with an exhibition of his work at the Terra Museum of American Art. Indiana, who lives and works on the island of Vinalhaven, Maine, said his fascination with typefaces began in high school, working on the school newspaper, and continued later at the Indianapolis Star. "I was surrounded by type popping out of these linotype (typesetting) machines," Indiana said. His first obsession, "LOVE," began circulating in 1964, tied to a Christmas card he designed for the Museum of Modern Art. So does LOVE go away now that we're focusing on HOPE? "HOPE will probably never catch up with LOVE," Indiana said. "LOVE had a head start, and its success probably will never be quite matched by HOPE. Love is a message which affects people more than hope." Pressed for an explantation, Indiana went on. "Right now, I think we are fast exhausting hope. We all know about love in America. It's the No. 1 topic." lviera@tribune.com Twitter @LaurenViera

A major retrospective of artist Robert Indiana's work will run through October 25 at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. You're best known for your LOVE sculpture with the tilted "O." There have been so many reproductions of this iconic image that everyone seems to know it. What do you make of all this? There were 333 million Love stamps, and now the post office is ripping me off and producing Love clocks, Love dishes, cups, and saucers -- all made in China, of course. The Love clocks are fun, and I have a couple. They keep good time. I'm afraid I'm haunted by that image. It's been used badly for a long time. Why did you move to an island off the coast of Maine in 1978? Because I had a lease in New York on the Bowery and my landlord decided I should move on. The only property I had was on Vinalhaven, which I had discovered in 1969. I'm here not because of the lobsters or the pine trees, but because of the Star of Hope. It's an old Odd Fellows lodge, the most prominent building on Main Street in Vinalhaven. It's a beautiful home, with my studio. I have many rooms. Already it's gotten a little crowded; things do accumulate. I'm a keeper. Your first public commission, EAT, an 18-foot-tall depiction of the word, flashed over the 1964 World's Fair in New York. But people thought it signaled a restaurant, so the electric lights had to be turned off. This summer, the sculpture will hang over the Farnsworth's retrospective of your work. For 40 years I never saw it lit myself. And now I will. It's a spectacular location, on the roof of the museum, against the sky. "Eat" is one of my favorite words, because it is the last word my mother said before she died. All of my work is autobiographical in one way or another.

Do you think hungry people will again gravitate to this image? There is going to be a hot dog stand very nearby. That's just good luck. The Farnsworth has no restaurant. What will visitors find surprising at the upcoming exhibition, "Robert Indiana and the Star of Hope"? It's the first official appearance of the HOPE sculpture, which made its first appearance with [Barack] Obama in Denver. This will be the realworld premiere of the subject of hope. A long time ago you said that pop art is instant art. Do you want to elaborate? I said a lot of snappy things in those days, when I was young and foolish. Pop art was momentous in the 1960s. In the process, we buried abstract expressionism, which was never my favorite. Of course, it took years to create an electric EAT sign. It was not instant. Which do you like more, letters or numbers? That's an interesting question. Until very recently I would have to say letters. But numbers keep cropping up and will be part of the show at the Farnsworth -- monumental number sculptures, all made out of CorTen steel. Why did you change your name from Robert Clark to Robert Indiana? Because in perusing the telephone book of any city in America, you will simply find there are too many Clarks. So, inspired by Tennessee Williams, I chose a better handle. You're 80 years old. How much do you work? Work is very irregular now; I'm not a workaholic. I live on a beautiful island off the coast of Maine. One can get diverted. ÂŠ Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company. 74

'LOVE' Artist Robert Indiana at Center of Exhibit 28 August, 2014

VINALHAVEN, Maine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Maine-based pop artist Robert Indiana plans to participate in a celebration of his art in countries across the world called International HOPE Day. The artist is best known for his "LOVE" image, in which the L and a leaning O sit atop the V and the E. His 'HOPE' image follows a similar theme. It will be a part of installations and events in Munich, Caracas, Miami, New York City and Vinalhaven, Maine, on Sept. 13, his 86th birthday. Indiana will make a public appearance outside his residence and studio on Vinalhaven Island on that day. There will be a large 'HOPE' sculpture installed for the event.

'HOPE' sculpture to be unveiled at Democratic convention By Deborah McDermott Posted Aug. 25, 2008 at 11:18 AM

ELIOT, Maine — There will be a touch of Maine in Denver this week at the Democratic National Convention. Today, in front of the Pepsi Center where the convention is taking place, a sculpture will be unveiled. Vinalhaven resident and artist Robert Indiana, known for his iconoclastic "LOVE" painting, will unveil a new work of art there, "HOPE." A 6-footby-6-foot stainless steel sculpture of the word, instantly recognizable as Indiana’s, was created by two young sculptors in Eliot. And it is precisely the Maine connection that brought the work to Lauren Holmgren, 26, and Josh Dow, 30. The two run Green Foundry, part of art studio complex Sanctuary Arts in Eliot. There, they cast sculptures in bronze and other materials. One day in mid-June, they received a call from Michael McKenzie of American Image Atelier in New York City, an art production facility. It is known for branding projects — such as "LOVE," which according to its Web site is its "centerpiece" project. McKenzie is now working with Indiana on the "HOPE" project, which includes a number of different mediums, including prints, that Indiana has created in support of presidential candidate Barack Obama. Indiana’s donating all proceeds to the campaign, according to the American Image Web site.

"He told us he was looking for a metal art foundry in Maine," said Dow of McKenzie, because it’s Indiana’s home state. McKenzie said he was looking for a foundry to make the "HOPE" sculpture — and in six weeks’ time — so it could be unveiled at the convention. They said they could do it, even though it’s a little outside their comfort zone. The two are known for casting existing sculptures, not for fabricating sculptures, as was required by McKenzie. They had taken metal fabrication classes at the Massachusetts College of Arts, where both graduated in metal sculpture in recent years, and had classmates who were fabricators. With a little help from their friends, and a certainty in their own talents, they took on the order. They were very mindful of the significance of the sculpture. "This is not like producing a sink. This is a well-known artist. There’s a social-political aspect to it, too," said Dow. "It was really amazing. Here we are, a small company from Maine, and our work was going to be at the Democratic Convention." The sculpture is made of one-eighth-inch grade 316 stainless steel, a high-grade steel used for such things as utensils and bowls. "It’s thin enough to work with and thick enough so it so it doesn’t bend like a pretzel," said Dow. The actual letters of the word hope were bent into shape, in pieces, by McCann Fabrication in New Gloucester, Maine. "We wanted to find someone nearby, and the fact that they were from Maine was a bonus," said Holmgren. "They did a high quality job." While McCann was getting the pieces ready, Holmgren and Dow were making the base on which the letters would rest. The piece had to be absolutely symmetrical. Each letter is 3 feet deep, and the word in total is 6 feet across and 6 feet high. If it had been 10 feet high, for instance, the letters would have been 5 feet in depth. Completed, the sculpture is a whopping 1,500 pounds, one ton with the base. It was picked up just last week by a custom FedEx truck that handles art installations and has since been making its way from Maine to Colorado.

It helps, they said, that they are both Barack Obama supporters, and they are therefore thrilled that their piece is going to be part of what they see as an historic convention. Asked if they would have produced a piece for Republican John McCain, they looked at each other for a moment, then said, "Sure. We’re artists first. But it’s great it’s going to be supporting Barack Obama." Not only that, the two are going to be guests at the unveiling of the sculpture. They left over the weekend for Denver, and will even be in the convention hall for Obama’s speech on Thursday. "It’s nice to be a part of this moment," said Dow. "This feels sort of surreal for me. We’re a little cog in a wheel and we’re thrust in this larger machinery. But all the pieces of the machinery are needed, you know?" "Even if he doesn’t win, it’s great to be a part of this project," said Holmgren.

On Monday, June, 15, the Farnsworth Art Museum will be installing two large sculptures by artist Robert Indiana in conjunction with the museum’s exhibition Robert Indiana and the Star of Hope. The first of the two works of art, EAT, which stands twenty feet high and contains close to 400 flashing LED lights, will be installed on the roof of the museum, over the Museum Store, near the corner of Main and Elm Streets. The installation work will be done by Burr Signs, located in Yarmouth, ME. The second sculpture, Indiana’s 2008 HOPE, which was unveiled at last year’s Democratic National Convention in Denver, weighs 2,200 pounds and will be installed in the museum’s Crosman gallery. HOPE is currently on display in New York City’s Times Square, the first work of art on view at the new public plaza there. The EAT sculpture was commissioned in 1964 by the renowned American architect Philip Johnson for the exterior of the New York State Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing, New York. Indiana’s work is a twenty by twenty foot electrified metal sculpture, consisting of five six-foot diameter disks spelling out the word EAT. The piece was an instant hit in a most unexpected way. The presence of Indiana’s EAT sculpture at the NY State Pavilion induced long lines of fair-goers to line up outside the building, thinking, wrongly, that there was a restaurant inside. The confusion led the fair administrators to turn off the lights just a few days after the piece was installed. It has not been exhibited in public since. Indiana’s choice of the word “eat” as the subject for his sculpture had special meaning for him. In 1949, while serving in the Army Air Corps and stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, he was called back to Columbus, Indiana to attend to his gravely ill mother. When he arrived, he was shocked by his mother’s wasted appearance. Upon seeing her son, she awoke from her weakened state and asked if he had anything to eat and then died.

Like many other images in Indiana’s work, the subject of EAT is both deeply personal and profoundly universal. He has often said that his art is primarily autobiographical. In the early 1960s the EAT became the subject of one of his small, totem-like wooden sculptures, paintings, and, eventually, his commission for the 1964 World’s Fair. That same year Indiana also collaborated with Andy Warhol on the film EAT, a twenty-odd minute portrait of Indiana eating a mushroom, slowed down by Warhol to run forty-plus minutes, shot in Indiana’s third floor studio at 25 Coentjes Slip in lower Manhattan. The Farnsworth’s is installing EAT atop its building, placed diagonally on the roof over the Museum Store at the corner of Main and Elm Streets, thus emulating the placement it originally had at the New York World’s Fair. Its lighted letters, pulsating on and off in a manner reminiscent of movie marquees, give the sculpture and its meaning added impact. The sculpture’s original control system, made by TimeO-Matic in Danville, Illinois is in pristine condition and its wiring has been updated. EAT’s original incandescent bulbs have been replaced by vastly more energy efficient and more durable LED bulbs. Once EAT has been installed and attached to its steel structure, it will be able to safely and securely withstand 100 mile an hour winds. The exhibition Robert Indiana and the Star of Hope will run at the Farnsworth from June 20 through October 25. There will be an opening reception and Live at Night at the Farnsworth party on Friday, June 19. For more information regarding this exhibition, please visit www.farnsworthmuseum.org, or contact the museum’s Communications Officer at 207-596-6457 ext 128.

Maine artist finds HOPE after LOVE 30 August, 2008

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Maine artist who brought LOVE to the world is doing the same with HOPE. Robert Indiana decades ago created the pop icon LOVE, known worldwide with its letters stacked two to a line, the letter "o" tilted on its side. Now he has created a similar image with HOPE, with proceeds going to Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign. A stainless steel sculpture of the image was unveiled this week outside the Pepsi Center at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The campaign is selling T-shirts, pins, bumper stickers and other items adorned with HOPE. Indiana would like to see his latest work become a symbol of newfound hope for Americans, and thinks an Obama presidency could bring just that. "There might be a chance we survive eight years of Bush, I don't know. That's where the hope comes in," he said in a phone interview from his home on Vinalhaven, an island off the Maine coast. An Obama campaign spokeswoman said Indiana's creation fits in well with Obama's vision.

"Barack Obama's message of hope has inspired Americans all across the country, and we couldn't imagine a more fitting place for Robert Indiana to unveil his HOPE sculpture than at the convergence of this movement for change in Denver," said spokeswoman Moira Mack. The McCain campaign had no comment Friday on the Obama campaign's use of the image.

Indiana, 79, is a pop artist whose work often features simple, iconic images using short words and numbers. His best-known work is LOVE, which he designed for a Christmas card for The Museum of Modern Art in 1964. Few pop images are more widely known than LOVE, which has appeared worldwide in sculptures, prints and paintings. The U.S. Postal Service featured it on a stamp in 1973, selling 333 million of them, Indiana said. Indiana said he has been fooling around with the word "hope" for a number of years. But it wasn't until Obama came along â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with his message of hope and his book "The Audacity of Hope" â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that Indiana turned it into a work of art. "It's really a brother to LOVE, or a sister or a very close family member," he said.

Bringing HOPE to world is quest of Maine artist Posted Aug. 30, 2008 at 6:00 AM

PORTLAND, Maine

The Maine artist who brought LOVE to the world is doing the same with HOPE. Robert Indiana decades ago created the pop icon LOVE, known worldwide with its letters stacked two to a line, the letter “o” tilted on its side. Now he has created a similar image with HOPE, with proceeds going to Democrat Barack H. Obama’s presidential campaign. A 6-by-6 stainless steel sculpture of the image was unveiled this week outside the Pepsi Center at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The campaign is selling Tshirts, pins, bumper stickers and other items adorned with HOPE. Indiana would like to see his latest work become a symbol of newfound hope for Americans, and thinks an Obama presidency could bring just that. “There might be a chance we survive eight years of Bush, I don’t know. That’s where the hope comes in,” he said in a phone interview from his home on Vinalhaven, an island off the Maine coast. An Obama campaign spokeswoman said Indiana’s creation fits in well with Mr. Obama’s vision. “Barack Obama’s message of hope has inspired Americans all across the country, and we couldn’t imagine a more fitting place for Robert Indiana to unveil his HOPE sculpture than at the convergence of this movement for change in Denver,” said spokeswoman Moira Mack. The McCain campaign had no comment yesterday on the Obama campaign’s use of the image.

Mr. Indiana, 79, is a pop artist whose work often features simple, iconic images using short words and numbers. His best-known work is LOVE, which he designed for a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art in 1964. Few pop images are more widely known than LOVE, which has appeared worldwide in sculptures, prints and paintings. The U.S. Postal Service featured it on a stamp in 1973, selling 333 million of them, Mr. Indiana said. Mr. Indiana has been fooling around with the word “hope” for a number of years, he said. But it wasn’t until Mr. Obama came along — with his message of hope and his book “The Audacity of Hope” — that Mr. Indiana turned it into a work of art. “It’s really a brother to LOVE, or a sister or a very close family member,” he said. This isn’t Mr. Indiana’s first foray into politics. He got involved with the peace movement in the 1960s, he said, and created works for Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter. After Mr. McKenzie American publishes

Indiana created the HOPE image, longtime friend Michael hooked up with the Obama campaign. Mr. McKenzie owns Image Atelier, a New York publishing company that prints of Mr. Indiana’s LOVE icon.

Mr. McKenzie got the Obama campaign to sign on, and two artists from Eliot, Maine — Josh Dow and Lauren Holmgren — were contracted to make a sculpture this summer. In the end, Mr. McKenzie thinks Mr. Indiana’s HOPE will be as popular as LOVE. “He’d like to have on his résumé that in the ’60s he created the love generation and in the next millennium he brought hope to the world,” McKenzie said. After Denver, the sculpture will probably be put on display in New York, McKenzie said. “If Obama wins the election, we’d like to see it on the White House lawn,” he said. 84

'LOVE' Artist Robert Indiana at Center of International Hope Day, Set for 9/13 Miami, FL -- On Saturday, September 13, 2014, people around the world will celebrate the first International Hope Day, inspired by pop artist Robert Indiana's sculpture, "HOPE," and organized to coincide with his 86th birthday. Munich, Venice and Miami.

Indiana will make a personal appearance in Vinalhaven, Maine where his home and studio are located. International Hope Day is aimed at reinforcing a positive message during times of turbulence and uncertainty. Those that are present during International Hope Day celebrations are encouraged to post photos of themselves in front of the sculptures to social media using the #HopeDay hashtag. Others are asked to share their own images and messages of hope across social media, also using #HopeDay. Organizers are currently seeking charitable partners so that the momentum and awareness that International Hope Day creates will ultimately positively impact charitable causes. Indiana created his iconic work "LOVE" in 1964 and it became a symbol of positivity during the turbulent Vietnam War era. He created "HOPE" in 2008 with the belief that the world was ready for a new message. The "O" in "HOPE" leans forward, propelling us to look forward to the promise of a better, more peaceful world. 85

International Hope Day locations include:

-- New York, N.Y.--810 7th Avenue (between the corner of 7th Avenue and 53rd Street) -- Caracas, Venezuela--Avenida Orinoco Entre Jalisco y Monterrey, Las Mercedes, Caracas 1060 -- Miami, Fla.--9703 Collins Avenue, Bal Harbour, FL 33154 -- Munich, Germany--Tuerkenstrasse 16 - 80333 Munich -- Venice, Italy--San Marco No. 2288, Calle Larga XXII Marzo, 30100 Venezia, Italia -- Vinalhaven, Maine--Star of HOPE, 46 Main Street, Vinalhaven, ME 04863 International Hope Day can be found on social media at: Facebook - www.facebook.com/indianahopeday; Twitter - www.twitter.com/indianahopeday; Instagram - www.instagram.com/indianahopeday; Pinterest - www.Pinterest.com/indianahopeday.

15 January, 2015

The pop artist best known for his LOVE word sculpture has created a similar public art installation that spells HOPE — in celebration of Barack Obama’s message of hope. Artist Robert Indiana’s HOPE was unveiled Thursday at Jim Kempner Fine Art, a Manhattan gallery. Indiana’s publicist says the artist raised more than $1 million for the Obama campaign by creating HOPE prints, posters, T-shirts and other memorabilia. No decision has yet been made on where the sculpture will be permanently displayed. The 6-foot stainless steel sculpture was shown privately during the Democratic National Convention in Denver last August. Versions of Indiana’s classic LOVE sculpture appear in several cities around the world, including Philadelphia.

NYC Sculptor creates HOPE artwork NEW YORK - 15 January 2009

The pop artist best known for his LOVE word sculpture has created a similar public art installation that spells HOPE in celebration of Barack Obama's message of hope. Artist Robert Indiana's HOPE was unveiled Thursday at Jim Kempner Fine Art, a Manhattan gallery. Indiana's publicist says the artist raised more than $1 million for the Obama campaign by creating HOPE prints, posters, T-shirts and other memorabilia. No decision has yet been made on where the sculpture will be permanently displayed. The 6-foot stainless steel sculpture was shown privately during the Democratic National Convention in Denver last August. Versions of Indiana's classic LOVE sculpture appear in several cities around the world, including Philadelphia.

16 January 2009

In this Aug. 27, 2008 file photo, the HOPE sculpture, designed by Robert Indiana, is displayed outside the Pepsi Center on the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The pop artist best known for his "LOVE" word sculpture has created a similar public art installation that spells hope - in celebration of Barack Obama's message of hope. Artist Robert Indiana's "HOPE" was unveiled Thursday at Jim Kempner Fine Art, a Manhattan gallery. His publicist says the artist raised more than $1 million for the Obama campaign by creating "HOPE" prints, posters, T-shirts and other memorabilia. No decision has yet been made on where the sculpture will be permanently displayed. The 6-foot-tall stainless steel sculpture was shown privately during August's Democratic National Convention in Denver. Versions of Indiana's classic "LOVE" sculpture appear in several cities around the world.

"Don't lose HOPE" exhibition the value of social art Friday, 04 December 2015 23:11

Image caption Monumental Hope (Red/Blue), 2015, painted aluminium, edition , 182.9 x 182.9 x 91.4, 72 x 72 x36 in

Image credits ContiniArtUk

Hope and love. Two simple words which are strongly connected to each other in everyone's life. As I walked in Robert Indiana’s 'Don’t Lose Hope' exhibition at ContiniArtUK in Bond Street, London, I perceived an unusual sensation of serenity and peacefulness. The massive “Hope” sculptures and “Love” iconic works conveyed a surreal feeling, especially in the aftermath of the Paris Attacks. But the importance of 92

these works lies within the suggestion of light and the illumination of a path for a better world. Robert Indiana, an American social and political activist, loves creating works which are able to explore complex issues affecting humanity today: love, death, sin and forgiveness. He wants to spread hope through pop art and the “O” in the sculpture leans forward because “propelling us to look forward to the promise of a better, more peaceful future”.

Although he is a professed atheist, his art shows a strong spirituality and an obvious ethical commitment. Looking at the Monumental Hope in red and blue (2015, Painted Aluminium, Edition of 6), I perceived the social art function. This massive sculpture featuring strong contrasting colours inevitably captured my attention. Forever. The same happened whilst admiring the Love sculpture. I was fascinated by the Glass Love prototype (1995, One of Kind); its transparency made me think about the fragility of sentiments as sometimes love can be lost in a moment. As Zygmunt Bauman advocates for the idea of “liquid modernity” in terms of social things which can change indefinitely, love has become more fragile in such “liquid” process. Thus, I agree with Diego Giolitti’s view – an experienced gallery director who said Love and Hope are simultaneously simple and complex: simple in their design, but each sculptured word completes an invisible square formation. http://www.polarityinternational.com/index.php/en/culture/item/1948-don-t-lose-hopeexhibition-when-art-has-a-social-function 93