Robert Indiana at Rockefeller Center: Presented by The Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative

Rockefeller Center, in partnership with The Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative, presented an installation of works by Robert Indiana, on view throughout the landmark Rockefeller Center campus from September 13 through October 23, 2023. Featuring monumental sculptures and a series of flags surrounding The Rink at Rockefeller Center, the exhibition highlighted works created by Indiana throughout his distinguished career, including the long-awaited return of his iconic LOVE sculpture to New York City. 

A second major feature of the Rockefeller Center installation was Indiana’s monumental sculpture ONE Through ZERO (The Ten Numbers) (1980–2001), which consists of ten 8-foot-tall Cor-Ten steel number sculptures. Numbers are one of the most important iconographic themes in Indiana’s work, and the artist emphasized the variety of meanings and associations that numbers can generate. Every number had specific personal resonance for him, related either to events in his own life (such as highway routes and buildings where he lived), or to the cycle of life itself, with the number one representing birth, and the number zero standing for death.

Also on display were 193 flags surrounding The Rink at Rockefeller Center. The flags feature images from Indiana’s Peace Paintings series (2003) (see below), created as a response to the 9/11 attacks, which the artist witnessed while in New York City. Incorporating the peace sign and short phrases about the loss of peace, these paintings reflect poignant themes of unity, acceptance and love that are present throughout Indiana’s work, as well as his continual engagement with the culture and politics of his time. 

The Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative is represented by Pace. 

Link to ROBERT INDIANA AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER
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