Event Category: Exhibitions

In partnership with Pace Gallery and The Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative, Cheekwood is proud to present Robert Indiana’s iconic The American LOVE (White Blue Red) sculpture throughout Cheekwood in Bloom, summer festivals, and Cheekwood Harvest. The sculpture is the second work of Cheekwood’s Masterpiece Art Series, continuing a long-standing tradition of bringing high-quality, world-renowned masterworks to Nashville.

Robert Indiana’s LOVE, with its signature slanted “O” within a square format, first appeared in 1964, in the form of a holiday card the artist designed for friends. The Museum of Modern Art in New York selected the LOVE artwork to be featured on their official holiday card in 1965.  Since then, the stacked four letters have become a cultural icon.

The first LOVE sculpture (12-inches high) was made from hand-cut aluminum and exhibited in New York at the Stable Gallery in 1966. In 1970, the artist began a sculpture program which translated his LOVE image into various scales using different color combinations. In 1970, a monumental scale 12-ft LOVE sculpture was fabricated. Robert Indiana’s 96-inch The American LOVE (White Blue Red) is on view at Cheekwood. As with his paintings, Indiana played with form and scale and his LOVE sculptures relate deeply to his own personal journey growing up in America. This celebrated single word evokes universal feelings of peace, unity, and joy for all.

Cheekwood’s 2025 Masterpiece Art Series is supported by the Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation.

Feature Image: Robert Indiana, The American LOVE (White Blue Red), 1966–1999, Conceived: 1966; Fabricated: 1999, polychrome aluminum, 96×96×48 in., Edition of 5 + 2 APs. Courtesy of The Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative and Pace Gallery © 2025 Morgan Art Foundation LLC / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.