Crystal Bridges staff snapped a photo of the new Robert Indiana sculpture being installed on the museum’s south lawn.
New York, Philadelphia, and New Orleans. Tokyo, Istanbul, and Bilbao.
These are just a few of the places that display sculptural versions of pop artist Robert Indiana’s iconic “LOVE” image. As of May 23, Bentonville will be added to the list.
Crews from Crystal Bridges are working today to install a 72″ x 72″ x 36″ “LOVE” sculpture on the museum’s south lawn.
Indiana first created the image, featuring simply the letters “LO” stacked on “VE” for a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1964.
He created the first sculptural version in 1966 from unpolished aluminum, and now there are over 20 cities around the world with “LOVE” sculptures on display. The version at Crystal Bridges has a fabrication date of 1999.
Crystal Bridges assistant curator Manuela Well-Off-Man sent us the following information about the work being installed this week:
Crystal Bridges’ LOVE sculpture’s rich patina is caused by the natural oxidation of the Cor-Ten steel. The steel forms a protective layer on its surface under the influence of the weather, creating a beautiful effect of strength and color. Indiana created his LOVE sculpture in different colors: red and blue; blue and green; red, white and blue. These sculptures can be viewed in museums and public places throughout the world including Indianapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Israel.
Indiana’s LOVE has evolved into a large body of works which includes paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints. Since then, LOVE has become a cultural icon and has been used extensively throughout the art world and media, with and without the artist’s approval.
The sculpture will be available for viewing during the museum’s regular hours beginning on Wednesday. Crystal Bridges is open to the public on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
