The isolation artist: scandal, deception, and the last days of Robert Indiana

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Average Rating
Publisher:
Godine
Pub. Date:
2021
Language:
English
Description
"When reclusive, millionaire artist Robert Indiana died in 2018, he left behind dark rumors and scandal, as well as an estate embroiled in lawsuits and facing accusations of fraud. Here is the true story of the artist's final days, the aftermath, the deceptive world that surrounded him, and the inner workings of art as very big business. "I'm an artist, not a business man," Robert Indiana said, refusing to copyright his iconic LOVE sculpture in 1965. An odd and tortured soul, an artist who wanted both fame and solitude, Indiana surrounded himself with people to manage his life and work. Yet, he frequently changed his mind and often fired or belittled those who worked with him. By 2008, when Indiana created the sculpture HOPE-or did he?-the artist had signed away his work for others to exploit, creating doubt about whether he had even seen artwork sold for very high prices under his name. At the time of his death, Indiana left an estate worth millions-and unsettling suspicions. There were allegations of fraudulent artwork, of elder abuse, of caregivers who subjected him to horrendous living conditions. There were questions about the inconclusive autopsy and rumors that his final will had been signed under coercion. There were strong suspicions about the freeloaders who'd attached themselves to the famous artist. "In the final hours of his life," the author writes, "Robert Indiana was without the grace of a better angel, as the people closest to him covered their tracks and plotted their defenses." With unparalleled access to the key players in Indiana's life, author Bob Keyes tells a fast-paced and riveting story that provides a rare inside look into the life of an artist as well as the often, too often, unscrupulous world of high-end art. The reader is taken inside the world of art dealers, law firms, and an array of local characters in Maine whose lives intersected with the internationally revered artist living in an old Odd Fellows Hall on Vinalhaven Island. The Last Days of Robert Indiana is for anyone interested in contemporary art, business, and the perilous intersection between them. It an extraordinary window into the life and death of a singular and contradictory American artist-one whose work touched countless millions through everything from postage stamps to political campaigns to museums-even as he lived and died in isolation, with a lack of love, the loss of hope, and lots and lots of money"--
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ISBN:
9781567926897
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Grouping Information

Grouped Work IDbf12d6a5-ab5d-e84b-fbca-e2418f0c6078
Grouping Titleisolation artist scandal deception and the last days of robert indiana
Grouping Authorbob keyes
Grouping Categorybook
Grouping LanguageEnglish (eng)
Last Grouping Update2024-03-27 01:38:24AM
Last Indexed2024-03-27 23:14:02PM

Solr Fields

accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Keyes, Bob, 1962-
author_display
Keyes, Bob
display_description
"When reclusive, millionaire artist Robert Indiana died in 2018, he left behind dark rumors and scandal, as well as an estate embroiled in lawsuits and facing accusations of fraud. Here is the true story of the artist's final days, the aftermath, the deceptive world that surrounded him, and the inner workings of art as very big business. "I'm an artist, not a business man," Robert Indiana said, refusing to copyright his iconic LOVE sculpture in 1965. An odd and tortured soul, an artist who wanted both fame and solitude, Indiana surrounded himself with people to manage his life and work. Yet, he frequently changed his mind and often fired or belittled those who worked with him. By 2008, when Indiana created the sculpture HOPE-or did he?-the artist had signed away his work for others to exploit, creating doubt about whether he had even seen artwork sold for very high prices under his name. At the time of his death, Indiana left an estate worth millions-and unsettling suspicions. There were allegations of fraudulent artwork, of elder abuse, of caregivers who subjected him to horrendous living conditions. There were questions about the inconclusive autopsy and rumors that his final will had been signed under coercion. There were strong suspicions about the freeloaders who'd attached themselves to the famous artist. "In the final hours of his life," the author writes, "Robert Indiana was without the grace of a better angel, as the people closest to him covered their tracks and plotted their defenses." With unparalleled access to the key players in Indiana's life, author Bob Keyes tells a fast-paced and riveting story that provides a rare inside look into the life of an artist as well as the often, too often, unscrupulous world of high-end art. The reader is taken inside the world of art dealers, law firms, and an array of local characters in Maine whose lives intersected with the internationally revered artist living in an old Odd Fellows Hall on Vinalhaven Island. The Last Days of Robert Indiana is for anyone interested in contemporary art, business, and the perilous intersection between them. It an extraordinary window into the life and death of a singular and contradictory American artist-one whose work touched countless millions through everything from postage stamps to political campaigns to museums-even as he lived and died in isolation, with a lack of love, the loss of hope, and lots and lots of money"--
format_category_eh
Books
format_eh
Book
id
bf12d6a5-ab5d-e84b-fbca-e2418f0c6078
isbn
9781567926897
itype_eh
ADULT BOOK
last_indexed
2024-03-28T05:14:02.298Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
primary_isbn
9781567926897
publishDate
2021
publisher
Godine
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Art and society -- United States -- History -- 21st century
Artists -- United States -- Biography
Indiana, Robert, -- 1928-2018 -- Last years
title_display
The isolation artist : scandal, deception, and the last days of Robert Indiana
title_full
The isolation artist : scandal, deception, and the last days of Robert Indiana / Bob Keyes
title_short
The isolation artist
title_sub
scandal, deception, and the last days of Robert Indiana
topic_facet
Art and society
Artists
History
Indiana, Robert
Last years

Solr Details Tables

item_details

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ils:.b26838862.i66357378Wallingford Adult Nonfiction700.92 INDIANA KE1falsefalseOn Shelfwaan

record_details

Bib IdFormatFormat CategoryEditionLanguagePublisherPublication DatePhysical DescriptionAbridged
ils:.b26838862BookBooksEnglishGodine2021242 pages ; 21 cm

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ils:.b26838862.i66357378On ShelfOn Shelffalsetruetruefalsefalsefalse9999