Robert Indiana (American, 1928–2018)
HOPE (Blue/Red), 2009
Polychromed aluminum
18 × 18 × 9 inches (45.7 × 45.7 × 22.9 cm)
Stamped with the artist’s signature, dated 2009, and numbered on the lower interior
Edition of 8
Condition: Excellent
Provenance: Private Collection
Location: New York
Price: Please inquire
About the Work
One of the most immediately recognizable images of Robert Indiana’s later career, HOPE carries forward the visual language that made his legendary LOVE among the defining images of postwar American art.
Indiana conceived HOPE using the same ingenious arrangement of four monumental letters, including the distinctive tilted “O” that had become synonymous with his work. Where LOVE distilled one of humanity’s most universal emotions into a single unforgettable image, HOPE introduced an equally universal message of optimism and possibility.
The motif emerged as an important part of Indiana’s work in the late 2000s and was subsequently realized across paintings, prints and sculpture.
This 2009 Blue/Red sculpture is particularly striking. Brilliant red faces are contrasted against deep blue sides and interior passages, emphasizing the substantial three-dimensional construction of the letters as the viewer moves around the work. The highly polished surfaces give the sculpture a vivid, almost architectural presence despite its intimate 18-inch scale.
Executed in polychromed aluminum and issued in an exceptionally limited edition of only eight, the sculpture is stamped with Indiana’s signature, dated 2009 and individually numbered.
At 18 × 18 × 9 inches, HOPE (Blue/Red) has enough physical presence to function as a significant sculpture while remaining ideally proportioned for residential display. It can be presented on a pedestal, console, substantial tabletop or within a dedicated architectural niche.
A wonderfully vibrant example of one of Robert Indiana’s most enduring subjects, HOPE (Blue/Red) combines the artist’s lifelong fascination with language, typography, color and the ability of a single word to become a powerful visual symbol.
