Robert Indiana’s project to realize his famous LOVE sculpture in marble was inspired by the prominence of marble in the history of art and the longevity of stone as a medium. The full project, begun around 2000 and continuing for more than a dozen years, includes approximately fifty individual works in a variety of sizes and stone types from around the world. Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective is the first public presentation of Indiana’s marble LOVEs.
Installation view of Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective. Photograph by Tom Powel Imaging. © Morgan Art Foundation Ltd / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York
Indiana selected each block for its specific coloration and veining, and master craftsmen in a workshop in Pietrasanta, Italy, carved his selections. The artist originally conceived the works in sizes of 50, 100, and 150 centimeters, but the nature of individual blocks ultimately governed the specific scale that could be achieved, a limitation Indiana happily embraced.
Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective is on view through September 23.
