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The shows to see in and around New York this month

Though he referred to himself simply as an ‘American painter of signs’, the man born Robert Clark in the state of Indiana in 1928 had a knack for reinvention. His most famous ‘sign’, a rubbing of the word ‘LOVE’ in bold red type with neutral blue and green filling the space between the letters (1964), is a perfect example, asserting the word’s power even as it deconstructs it. Though the work’s ubiquity in subsequent years has threatened to diminish its effect, Indiana made countless other pieces combining words and images in ways that make us think twice about the signs and symbols that surround us. ‘Robert Indiana: The American Dream’, an exhibition at Pace Gallery (9 May–15 August), collects paintings and sculptures by the artist ranging from the 1960s to the 2010s. 

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The American Stock Company, 1963

Photo: Courtesy of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Artwork: © The Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative/Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

The American Stock Company, 1963

Photo: Courtesy of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Artwork: © The Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative/Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY