| L.O.V.E. | |
| Artist: | Maurizio Cattelan |
| Medium: | Carrara marble |
| Dimensions: | height (including pedestal) |
| Museum: | Piazza degli Affari |
| City: | Milan |
L.O.V.E., commonly known as Il Dito (Italian for 'the finger') is a sculpture by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan consisting of a hand with all the fingers severed with the exception of the middle finger. The sculpture is located in Piazza degli Affari in (Milan), where the Italian stock exchange is located. The name L.O.V.E. is the acronym of "Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità" ("Freedom, Hatred, Revenge, Eternity"). The sculpture, built in 2010, was originally exhibited on the occasion of Cattelan's retrospective at The Royal Palace of Milan.[1] After the exhibition closed, the city Councillor for Culture Massimiliano Finazzer Flory proposed the piece to be permanent.[2] The business community objected to the idea but after long deliberations, facilitated by Cattelan's decision to donate the sculpture, L.O.V.E. was eventually given permanent status.[3]
Maurizio Cattelan never disclosed the exact meaning of the sculpture.[4] The two most accepted explanations are that it represents both a critique of the Fascist salute and that it is designed as a protest against financial institutions after the financial crisis of 2007–2008.[5] Indeed, the stock exchange building, Palazzo Mezzanotte, was built during fascism by architect Paolo Mezzanotte and completed in 1932.