Robert Indiana Auction Prices and Value Guide
Robert Indiana auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 9,565 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Robert Indiana auction prices: quick answer
Robert Indiana auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Robert Indiana
- Source records
- 9,565
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Robert Indiana
Robert Indiana (born Robert Clark, 1928–2018) was an American painter and sculptor centrally associated with the Pop Art movement. Born in New Castle, Indiana, he studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute before settling in New York City in 1954. On Coenties Slip in lower Manhattan, he joined a community of artists including Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, and James Rosenquist, whose shared industrial-loft environment helped shape his early hard-edge style. Indiana's work is defined by bold color, stenciled text, and numerals—most famously his LOVE image, which appeared as a painting, sculpture, and United States postage stamp and became one of the most widely recognized artworks of the twentieth century. Beyond LOVE, his practice spanned mixed-media assemblages, large-scale Cor-ten steel sculptures, screenprints, and career-spanning word and number series held by major museums worldwide.
Pop ArtHard-edge paintingOil and acrylic painting on canvasScreenprints and lithographsCor-ten steel and aluminum sculptureMixed-media assemblageSingle words (LOVE, HOPE, EAT, DIE, HUG, ERR)Numerals and number seriesAmerican iconography (stars, highway signs, gas station motifs)
Common works and media
Indiana is commonly encountered in appraisal and auction contexts across oil and acrylic paintings on canvas featuring hard-edge geometric text and numeral compositions; screenprints and lithographs issued in signed and numbered editions; large-scale Cor-ten steel and aluminum sculptures including LOVE and HOPE variants; mixed-media assemblages incorporating found materials; posters and exhibition prints. Recurring subjects include single words such as LOVE, HOPE, EAT, DIE, HUG, and ERR; numerical series including ONE through ZERO; and American highway and roadside iconography drawn from his Midwestern upbringing.
Market and appraisal context
Robert Indiana's auction market is deep and liquid, with 4,255 recorded lots and 2,406 priced results spanning December 2000 through April 2026. The price distribution is extremely wide—from $20 for unsigned or poster material to $4,114,500 for major paintings or sculptures—reflecting the vast range of media, editions, and scales in his oeuvre. The interquartile range ($350–$4,800) and median ($1,100) indicate that most transactions involve prints and small editions, while the long upper tail is driven by canonical 1960s paintings and monumental Cor-ten steel sculptures. Ten or more auction houses appear regularly, including Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, and Bonhams alongside specialist houses such as RoGallery, DUMBO Auctions, and Setdart, demonstrating sustained global demand across market tiers. Recent 12-month volume (297 lots) is materially below the prior 12-month period (501 lots), which may indicate softening, reduced consignment supply, or seasonal variation; a single year's decline does not establish a trend but warrants monitoring.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Oil and acrylic painting on canvas
- Screenprints and lithographs
- Cor-ten steel and aluminum sculpture
- Mixed-media assemblage
- Prints and multiples (posters, exhibition prints, editions)
Value drivers
- Medium and scale: large canvases and monumental Cor-ten steel sculptures command premiums over small works on paper or prints
- Date of execution: works from the 1960s Pop Art period are generally most sought after
- Edition size and number for prints and multiples can significantly affect value
- Provenance and exhibition history, especially museum or estate provenance
- Condition is critical for hard-edge color-field works where surface integrity is paramount
- Medium and scale: large canvases and monumental Cor-ten steel sculptures command significant premiums over works on paper, prints, and polystone multiples
Appraisal caveats
- The LOVE image exists in a very wide range of media, editions, scales, and fabrication dates, making careful attribution essential for appraisal.
- Poster editions and unauthorized reproductions circulate widely; edition verification is important.
- Late-career works and posthumous casts may differ significantly in market value from authenticated 1960s–1970s originals.
- Poster editions and unauthorized reproductions circulate widely; edition verification against publisher records is important.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Library of Congress library authority
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
- Tate museum or university
- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Wikidata library authority
Data basis
This page is built from Appraisily's public auction market index. Private transactions, incomplete sale feeds, and attribution changes may not be fully represented.
Artist value FAQ
How much is Robert Indiana worth?
Comparable public auction sales are the best starting point, but final value depends on the specific artwork, condition, size, medium, provenance, and attribution confidence.
Can Appraisily value my Robert Indiana artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.