Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective

Saturday, June 16, 2018–Sunday, September 23, 2018

1905 Building, South Galleries and Sculpture Court

Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective provides an in-depth exploration of the work of one of America’s best known but least understood artists. With his career-defining LOVE sculpture, Indiana created what is perhaps the most beloved public artwork of the twentieth century and one of the most iconic works in all of art history. Indiana’s works created prior to LOVE in the early 1960s were quickly embraced as classics of the burgeoning Pop art movement. However, his intensely autobiographical artwork consistently defied this narrow art historical categorization. Through varied combinations of universal but personally resonant symbols—letters, numbers, stars, circles, and wheels—the artist realized his vision across the decades and across a full range of media. In this landmark exhibition, Indiana’s sculptures, paintings, drawings, and prints are placed in dialogue with one another to reveal the breadth and consistency of a career spanning sixty years.

Installation view of Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective — Installation view of *Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective*. From left: *KvF X (Hartley Elegy)*, 1989–94; *KvF*, 1991 (cast 2018); *KvF XV (Hartley Elegy)*, 1989–94; *Mars*, 1990 (cast 2016); and *KvF II (Hartley Elegy)*, 1989–94. Photograph by Tom Powel Imaging. Artwork © Morgan Art Foundation Ltd / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York

The retrospective includes numerous important works that have only rarely been shown as well as intimate examples of the LOVE sculpture in semiprecious stone that have never been exhibited. Featuring significant loans from national and international museum and private collections, Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective offers a thorough reassessment of the artist’s work, from his earliest assemblages in recycled wood and iron of the late 1950s to his most recent series of painted bronzes, which are among the most complicated and fascinating bronze works of the contemporary era.

Following its presentation at the Albright-Knox, the exhibition will travel to the Tampa Museum of Art from October 2018 to March 2019. The accompanying catalogue, published by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in association with Kerber Verlag, is edited by Albright-Knox Deputy Director Joe Lin-Hill, with contributions by Lin-Hill, Albright-Knox Chief Curator Emeritus Douglas Dreishpoon, Albright-Knox Curator of Public Art Aaron Ott, Robert Hobbs, and Simon Salama-Caro.

This exhibition is organized by Dr. Joe Lin-Hill, Deputy Director, with support from Caroline Gerwitz, Associate, Executive Offices.

Admission to this special exhibition is Pay What You Wish on M&T FIRST FRIDAYS @ THE GALLERY.