ROBERT INDIANA | THE EXTRA STAR STEER

Stable Gallery, New York

Bianchini Gallery, New York (acquired from the above in 1966)

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1966

New York, Bianchini Gallery & Cincinnati, Contemporary Arts Center, Master Drawings: Pissaro to Lichtenstein, January - February 1966 (illustrated)

Living in a loft space near the shipyards in downtown Manhattan, Robert Indiana discovered discarded stencils used to paint logos on the sides of ships and crates that docked nearby. Fascinated by the ties to his upbringing in Indiana and the shapes, he created a series of crayon rubbings such as The Extra Star Steer, using these found stencils. This particular logo was used by the American Hay Company and would have been painted on the side of a cargo ship moving hay. These logos featured lettering, numbers and shapes which later came to define his oeuvre.