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Why is Cattelan’s middle finger in Piazza Affari in Milan called LOVE? History and meaning

The LOVE statue by Maurizio Cattelan with his famous middle finger. Credit: Google Arts and Culture

Walking through the center of Milan, and going to the finance area of ​​Piazza Affari (between the Cadorna and Cairoli squares), it is impossible not to notice in front of Palazzo Mezzanotte, home of the Milan Stock Exchange, a gigantic marble sculpture depicting a hand with four severed fingers and a single finger pointing to the sky, the middle finger. This enormous statue, created in 2010 by the provocative contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelanit’s called ironically LOVE But why? There are those who say it wants to make fun of the world of finance (then very much in crisis), while according to others it is an allusion to the fascist salute: a plausible interpretation also due to the distinctly fascist architecture of the square where it is housed.

LOVE is an acrostic that indicates words Freedom, Hatred, Revenge, Eternity. However, their meaning is not obvious: this Carrara marble sculpture, which with its Roman travertine base reaches a height of 11 metresdoes not in fact have a single and explicit meaning. Over time there have been various interpretations, but none of these are certain.

But why is the statue located in the center of Milan? Born to be exhibited temporarily on the occasion of an exhibition by Cattelan himself at Palazzo Reale in 2010, LOVE then remained permanently at the behest of the council of the then mayor Giuliano Pisapia and the councilor for culture Stefano Boeri (now president of Triennale Milano). Not without controversy: this enormous object creates an effect of amazement, and the gesture of the raised middle finger is certainly irreverent. Yet, despite the first oddity, the statue appears in harmony with the marble of the buildings in the square, rearranged in the 1930s by the architect Paolo Mezzanotte, and accentuates its alienating and metaphysical characteristics.