''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 Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

), where the

Italian stock exchange Borsa Italiana, based in Milan, is the Italian stock exchange. It manages and organises domestic market, regulating procedures for admission and listing of companies and intermediaries and supervising disclosures for listed companies.italy24.ils ...

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. After the exhibition closed, the city Councillor for Culture Massimiliano Finazzer Flory proposed the piece to be permanent. 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. Maurizio Cattelan never disclosed the exact meaning of the sculpture. The two most accepted explanations are that it represents both a critique of the

Fascist salute The Roman salute, alternatively called the Fascist salute, is a gesture in which the right arm is fully extended, facing forward, with palm down and fingers touching. In some versions, the arm is raised upward at an angle; in others, it is held ...

and that it is designed as a protest against financial institutions after the

financial crisis of 2007–2008 Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fi ...

. Indeed, the stock exchange building,

Palazzo Mezzanotte Palazzo Mezzanotte, also known as Palazzo delle Borse ("Stock Exchange Palace") is a 20th-century building of Milan, Italy, and the seat of the Italian stock exchange. It is located in Piazza Affari ("Business Square"), the city square after which ...

, was built during fascism by architect Paolo Mezzanotte and completed in 1932.

References

2010 sculptures Sculptures by Maurizio Cattelan Monuments and memorials in Milan Outdoor sculptures in Milan Italian sculpture Obscenity controversies in sculpture {{Italy-sculpture-stub