Robert Indiana: Born Robert Clark in New Castle, Indiana, the artist was a self-described sign painter from the Midwest. After a summer at the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, he found his stride in New York, combining the verbiage of signs with the graphic sensibilities of slogans to create a new visual language that sustained his career for more than half a century. He moved to Vinalhaven in 1978. Though best known for creating “LOVE,” Indiana disliked being defined by that work and spent much of his career trying to distance himself from it.
Michael McKenzie: An art publisher and printmaker, McKenzie has been associated with Indiana since the 1960s and became closely tied to Indiana’s work in 2008 when he signed a contract with the artist to produce and promote the “HOPE” series of sculptures and images. He is accused of fraud.
Simon Salama-Caro: An adviser to Morgan Art Foundation, Salama-Caro began courting Indiana in the 1990s, seeking to help him rebuild his career and bring attention to the scope of his work. They signed their first contract in 1999. Morgan sued Indiana, McKenzie and others for breach of contact in May 2018, and filed a second lawsuit against Indiana’s personal representative last fall.
Jamie Thomas: Indiana’s personal assistant and Vinalhaven resident, Thomas also was named in the Morgan lawsuit, accused of isolating Indiana from his friends and participating in fraud. Thomas was given power of attorney privileges by Indiana in 2016 and occupies a seat on the Star of Hope Foundation board.
James Brannan: A Rockland lawyer, Brannan is Indiana’s personal representative and a party in the Morgan lawsuit. He is overseeing the settlement of Indiana’s estate.
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