SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Love is in the air at the University of Utah. The university acquired the famous “LOVE” sculpture that was previously in New York.
It is now a permanent structure at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
Museum staff spoke with ARC Salt Lake about why the university bought the sculpture and how it made the trip from the Big Apple to the Beehive State.
Gretchen Dietrich, UMFA executive director, said it was installed in the middle of the night.
“We had a team over here from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.,” she said. “You never move art quickly. It takes a long time.”
The origin of the design goes back to the 1960s and did not start as a sculpture.
“This is a work of art created by a very important, famous American artist Robert Indiana,” Dietrich said. “He was first asked – invited – by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City to create a holiday card.”
That was when he first came up with the idea of LOVE, with “O” on an angle, she said.
Then Indiana started making it as a sculpture. It was created in different colors and different materials.
The one on the University of Utah campus is among the largest.
“Around the world there are 86 sculptures by Robert Indiana in varying sizes – some inside museums, some outside – there are only 9 of the 12-footers,” Dietrich said.
The sculptures have been placed in many locations across the world.
“This one was on 6th Avenue in New York City, in midtown Manhattan, for more than 20 years,” she said. “If you’ve ever seen that sculpture in New York, this is it.”
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