Robert Indiana

Robert Indiana, one of the preeminent figures in American art since the 1960s, has played a central role in the development of assemblage art, hard-edge painting and Pop art. He was born Robert Clark in New Castle, Indiana on September 13, 1928. Adopted as an infant, he spent his childhood moving frequently throughout his namesake state. A self-proclaimed “American painter of signs,” Indiana has created a highly original body of work that explores American identity, personal history and the power of abstraction and language, establishing an important legacy that resonates in the work of many contemporary artists who make the written word a central element of their oeuvre. In addition to being a painter and sculptor, Indiana has created a significant number of prints, among them the Numbers Portfolio (1968), collaboration with the poet Robert Creeley, as well as many other works of graphic art.

Since 1978, he has lived and worked in Vinalhaven, Maine.