LOVE
1966
Oil on canvas
48 x 48 in. (121.9 x 121.9 cm)
McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas. On loan from the collection of The Tobin Theatre Arts Fund
Photo: Courtesy of the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas; Artwork: © Morgan Art Foundation Ltd./Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Installation view of Robert Indiana: The Sweet Mystery, Procuratie Vecchie, Venice, Italy, April 20–November 24, 2024. Left to right, LOVE (1965), AHAVA (1977–2004), and AMOR (1998–2001).
Indiana’s stacked LOVE image first appeared in 1964, in a series of rubbings that he sent to friends as Christmas cards. He then began experimenting with painted versions in different size and color combinations. This grisaille version from 1966 reflects the palette of his second love-themed painting, Love Is God (1964).
LOVE is currently on display in Robert Indiana: The Sweet Mystery, at the Procuratie Vecchie, Venice.