Robert Indiana (1928–2018)

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Robert Indiana (1928–2018) | The artist Robert Indiana has died at the age of 89. The self-described ‘American painter of signs’ was best known for creating his LOVE series, which has appeared in the form of prints and sculptures in different languages around the world, and in 2008 was recast as the word HOPE to support Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. The popularity of the LOVE image often overshadowed Indiana’s other contributions to art movements in America from Pop to hard-edge abstraction, which were celebrated in 2013 in a retrospective at the Whitney Museum entitled ‘Robert Indiana: Beyond LOVE’.

Getty Foundation announces grants for prints and drawings departments | The Getty Foundation yesterday announced the launch of a new grant-based initiative to promote curatorial practice in the field of prints and drawings. ‘The Paper Project’, as the initiative has been named, includes the announcement of six grants awarded to museums around the world designed to support ‘training and professional development opportunities’ for prints and drawings curators in the early stages of their careers. The grant recipients include the Ashmolean in Oxford, the Courtauld Gallery and the British Museum in London, and the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.

Interview magazine folds | Interview magazine, the art publication co-founded by Andy Warhol in 1969, is shutting down. Staff at the publication, which was acquired after Warhol’s death by art collector Peter Brant, were reportedly told at a meeting yesterday (21 May) that the magazine is filing for bankruptcy. The news follows multiple recent reports of financial mismanagement, including a lawsuit filed by Interview’s former editorial director, Fabien Baron, and his wife Ludivine Poiblanc, alleging that Brant Publications owe them more than $600,000.

Rothko Chapel vandalised in ‘hate incident’ | The Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas has been targeted by vandals in what the venue’s executive director David Leslie has described as a ‘hate incident’. The Houston Chronicle reports that white paint was spilled by the entrance of the non-denominational chapel and into the water surrounding a Barnett Newman sculpture dedicated to Martin Luther King, and leaflets printed with the words ‘It’s okay to be white’ were found around the grounds and pool. The chapel was closed temporarily on Friday while the vandalism was removed, and a report has been filed with the local police department.