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Robert Indiana, known for his LOVE series, dies at 89

Indiana is best known for his "LOVE" sculpture, in which the L and a leaning O sit atop the V and the E.

ROCKLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine)--Maine’s art world is mourning the death of Robert Indiana, who passed away last weekend at his home on the island of Vinalhaven. He was 89 years old.

Indiana rocketed to fame in the 1960’s for his painting and sculpture, called Love. The image was used on Christmas cards, posters, and eventually became a best-selling stamp for the U.S. Postal Service.

The Farnsworth Museum in Rockland owns one of the Love sculptures, and put on a major show of Indiana’s work in 2009. Curator Michael Komenacki wrote a book about Indiana. He said the artist created many other works during his long career, but those were not as well known as Love.

“It was easy to know him for that and little else,” Komenacki said. “But it made him famous to be sure. In part because 330,000,000 postage stamps with Love on them were done in 1973, there are literally millions of people around the world who know that work of art. But (they) may not know it was Robert Indiana who created it.”

Many of Indiana’s works include the use of words as part of the image. A large sculpture, called Eat, features lighted panels of the letter E,A and T, spelling out the word in different configurations.

Indiana told NEWS CENTER Maine’s Rob Caldwell in 2010 that it was in memory of his late mother, whose final words to him were, “did you get anything to eat?”

That sculpture was originally created for the 1964 Worlds Fair in New York.

Robert Indiana moved to Vinalhaven in 1978, and converted the old Odd Fellows Hall into a home and studio. That’s where he died last weekend.

His lawyer says the artist had not created any new works for about ten years. But even as the artist passed away, a new controversy arose. The Portland Press Herald reports a lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York Friday, accusing Indiana’s caregivers and publisher of isolating and exploiting the artist, including accusation of forgery.

Indiana’s Attorney, James Brannan of Rockland, said he did not want to comment on the lawsuit at the present time. He did say there would likely be a memorial event for Indiana this summer on Vinalhaven.

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