In the 1960s, the word “love” became a touchstone for America’s hippie movement and Robert Indiana’s composition was widely accepted as a symbol of its progressive aspirations. Indiana originally made the work as a Christmas card in 1965 and later made prints, sculptures, and paintings based on the design. Commercial ventures soon co-opted the image for merchandise. Unfortunately, Indiana had not declared copyright on his famous work, so never profited from its prolific commercial reproduction.
