Robert Indiana’s Decade: Autoportrait paintings are a series of autobiographical portraits that he began in 1971. The works, which the artist considered a throwback to his American Dream series, consist of three groups of ten paintings in different sizes: 24-, 48-, and 72-inches. The 24- and 48-inch works made their debut in Robert Indiana: New Paintings and Sculpture, held at the Galerie Denise René, New York, November 22–December 30, 1972.
The series provides a portrait of his life in the 1960s, and includes references to important names, places, and events. Decade: Autoportrait 1966 includes the word “Love,” a reference to his “LOVE” show at the Stable Gallery—the majority of the works in the show were painted in red, blue, and green, reflected in the artist’s choice of colors for this work. “Bowery” refences the location of Indiana’s studio at the corner of Spring Street and Bowery, where he had moved the year prior.
“Virgil” is a reference to the composer Virgil Thomson. In August of 1966 Indiana accepted a commission to design the sets and costumes of Thomson’s opera The Mother of Us All for a performance at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, in January 1967. And on December 30, 1966, a recital including Thomson’s most recent composition “Edges (A Portrait of Robert Indiana)" was held at Indiana’s studio. “Yield” references Indiana’s series of paintings Yield Brother paintings, one of which, Yield Brother Virgil, he painted for Thomson.