INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART SIGNED ROBERT INDIANA POSTER

This signed original poster by renowned artist Robert Indiana displays a dramatic explosion of bold colors.  Designed as a poster for the Inaugural Exhibitions of the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 1970, its abstract and geometric shapes seem, at first glance, to be random.  Upon closer inspection, however, one can see that the shapes are in fact letters that spell out the word “ART.”  How interesting and uniquely appropriate it was for Indiana to choose this technique and message to promote the opening of an art museum.

He carried forward this “ART” graphic into other projects he did, and a similar print (with different colors) of his is included in the “American Dream Print Portfolio” which he compiled in 1997.

Acknowledged as a prominent figure in the Pop Art movement, Indiana thought of himself as an American painter of signs, as his bold, graphic style was inspired by billboards and other commercial signs.  He frequently incorporated short words from signs into his paintings, prints and sculptures, and this poster is a wonderful example of how he worked his craft.

He is best known for his “LOVE” series of prints and sculptures, first produced in the 1960s. His two-row graphic of the word, with its tilted "O," is one of the most recognizable works of modern art in the world. The original LOVE sculpture is located at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, but his work is represented in the collections of numerous major museums and institutions, and versions of his outdoor LOVE  sculptures are seen in cities worldwide.

Robert Indiana (1928-2018), born Robert Clark, grew up in Indiana in a family that moved frequently but always within the state.  He took “Indiana” as his last name in recognition of his home state. 

Exhibition posters are a great way to collect a piece of art history, including this colorful signed vintage original silk-screened poster by one of the central figures of the Pop Art movement.

Condition: A