The Book of Love: A Portfolio of 12 Original Poems & 12 Original Prints

The everyday symbols that pervaded the highways and roadsides of Indiana's Midwestern childhood was a source of inspiration for his art. Moving to New York in 1954, Indiana adopted hard-edge painting techniques, influenced by his then-lover Ellsworth Kelly, whose paintings are said to have inspired the colour palettes for LOVE. LOVE first appeared in the 1961 painting 4-Star Love and the 1964 painting Love is God, before MoMA commissioned Indiana to design their Christmas card in 1964, for which Indiana submitted the LOVE icon we know today. This portfolio is Indiana's most elaborate extension of the motif, including twelve of his own love poems written between 1958-73 and 12 different colour variations of the icon, the largest array to date.