Release Date: August 27, 2013

Robert Indiana’s AMOR Installed in National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

Washington, DC—Robert Indiana’s AMOR (conceived 1998, executed 2006) is now on view in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. A play on Indiana’s famous LOVE sculpture, AMOR is constructed from red and yellow polychrome aluminum.  This is the first sculpture by Indiana (American, b. 1928) to enter the Gallery's collection, and it significantly advances the Gallery’s holdings of monumental modern sculpture.  The sculpture was given to the Gallery in May 2012 by Simon and Gillian Salama-Caro in memory of Ruth Klausner.
 
Indiana originally conceived the familiar “Love” graphic in drawings, paintings, and sculptures between 1964 and 1966. The first sculptural version was displayed at an exhibition at the Stable Gallery in Manhattan in 1966, and the artist has continued working with the motif since. The image became most widely known through a commission for a Museum of Modern Art card in 1965 and the 8-cent “Love” stamp issued in 1973 by the United States Postal Service. The graphic became an emblem of the 1970s in the U.S., associated with the relaxation of social strictures.  The monumental AMOR made its first appearance in the center of Madrid in 2006.  With its inclined “O” and vibrant colors, it extends the spirit of “Love” into several languages and cultures.