LOVE is among the most recognizable artworks of the twentieth century. Robert Indiana first executed this square stacked-letter format in a series of pencil rubbings in 1964 , and his design first achieved widespread distribution as a Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Christmas card in 1965. The artist did not copyright his design, and by 1966, the year he conceived his first LOVE sculpture, the image was already being widely pirated. Indiana revisited LOVE throughout his career in a variety of media, scales, and color combinations, such as this four-panel, red, white and blue screen print. The museum’s collection also includes an eight-foot, polychromed aluminum LOVE in the classic red, blue, and green color combination that Indiana originally used for MoMA’s Christmas card.

Label from Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective, June 16–September 23, 2018