Robert Indiana (1928-2018) – Poster for the Production of ‘The Mother of Us All’ circa 1967

Description

Robert Indiana, one of the pre-eminent figures in American art since the 1960s, played a central role in the development of assemblage art, hard-edge painting, and Pop art. A self proclaimed “American painter of signs,” Indiana created a highly original body of work that explores American identity, personal history, and the power of abstraction and language, establishing an important legacy that resonates in the work of many contemporary artists who make the written word a central element of their oeuvre.

In 1966 Indiana was engaged to design the sets and costumes for The Mother of Us All, an adaptation of Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thomson’s 1947 opera about activist Susan B. Anthony – an American social reformer and women’s rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage movement. Billed as “An American Pop Opera,” the play was first performed at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis in 1967.