A few weeks ago, I, an art lover, spent an hour surfing the web, learning about the numerous outdoor sculptures dotting the University Of Pennsylvania campus. Much to my amazement, I discovered that one of the late artist Robert Indiana’s famous LOVE sculptures sits smack dab in the middle of the university’s grounds.
Now, I’d been fully aware of, and had seen multiple times, two other of his LOVE sculptures, both of which reside in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. They have become tourist attractions, especially the one in a park within a stone’s throw of City Hall. That park, in fact, is known to just about everyone as LOVE Park, rather than as John F. Kennedy Plaza, which is its official name.
But it was news to me about the University Of Pennsylvania, a major Philadelphia institution located a mile from downtown. This meant, of course, that Philadelphia displays three LOVE pieces, which is fitting, since The City Of Brotherly Love is one of Philadelphia’s nicknames. New York City, by the way, is the only other municipality in the world with as many as three. (Per Wikipedia, more than 80 LOVE sculptures are scattered around the globe.)
Well, being one who enjoys his mini adventures, I decided I should visit this trio of creations soon. And all on the same day, no less, which I was certain nobody had ever done before. Shit, I’m old as hell and heretofore had no claim to fame whatsoever. It was time to make my mark, no matter how incredibly insignificant it would be!
Thus, late last month I hauled my aged ass aboard a train that, in an hour, took me from my little town to the heart of Philadelphia. Five minutes later, there I was in LOVE Park. Fifteen minutes after that I strode into Sister Cities Park to examine its AMOR sculpture (Robert Indiana produced versions of LOVE in various languages; amor means love in Spanish and Latin). And I made my way to Penn’s sprawling campus from there, eventually locating and admiring its LOVE piece. Mission accomplished!
Why are there so many LOVE sculptures in the world? Why do people gravitate to them? I’m not an expert on anything, let alone love. But it’s pretty clear to me that love, in some respects, makes the world go round. Our planet, which might easily and accurately be viewed as a horror show, would be even more unsettling were it not for the love that connects nearly each person with at least a few of their fellow beings. People need love and want to love. Even if they don’t know it.
And so, Robert Indiana tapped into something elemental when he began inserting love into his artworks. In 1961 he used the word for the first time, in a painting, not a sculpture. He made his initial LOVE sculpture nine years later, and over time the demand for sculptural follow-ups took off. I suspect that the demand was boosted tremendously when, in 1973, the United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp with Indiana’s LOVE image on it. That stamp sold like hotcakes.
I think that the simplicity and the warmth of Indiana’s LOVE design are the reasons for its success. Four letters in basic colors. Nothing more. The letters cling to one another for dear life, the O nestled against the L and the E as if it were in a womb. The LOVE design makes us drop our defenses and think that —yes! — love is where it’s at. It’s all you need, as The Beatles famously noted. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to have water and food too. In any case, one thing for sure is that few artists ever create iconic works. Robert Indiana, without any doubt, did.
1967, the year of the Summer Of Love, was the height of the hippie movement, when it seemed that peace, love and understanding had a chance of putting the human race on a golden path. As we know all too well, that didn’t exactly pan out.
1967 also was the year in which All You Need Is Love, by The Beatles, made its appearance. It would be inappropriate of me to end this contemplation without including their live performance of the song, whose message has resounded loud and clear ever since. The event was part of a broadcast called Our World, the first ever to be transmitted to a worldwide audience via satellite. Home from college during summer break, I, with my brother, watched The Beatles do their magical thing on a tiny television in my bedroom. The presentation mesmerized and excited us. Those were special days.
Click on the following link to view The Beatles in action: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6mtbyq
Yeah, Another Blogger 
I love, love, love, love, your adventure to see the statues and the history lessons to go with it, including you and your brother watching the Beatles on a tiny TV. 😍🥰💖💕💞
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Hi. The Beatles had stopped touring the year before. And they hadn’t appeared on TV in two or three years. So, it was great to be able to see them play live.
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A wonderful memory to treasure indeed!
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lots of love and respect to your writing and best wishes from
mrprofessorsdotcom.wordpress.com
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Thank you for this post. What would life be like without love.
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Hi. Love is vital and powerful.
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Sadly, my sweet home Chicago does not have a love sculpture. I love that you made a love tour, though. I’ll bet that was a nice day.
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It was a love-ly day.
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Haha. 🙂
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What a fun adventure. I’m glad you made it. 🙂
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Hi Betsy. Seeing the three sculptures in one day was pretty cool.
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Yep, that’s one for the books. Or the blog!
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Love certainly makes the world go round, and it gets around too. The only one I’ve seen is in Old Montreal in front of a hotel where we stayed. Definitely a nice attraction.
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Morning, Eden. Love is where it’s at!
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What a delightful piece, Neil–with an inspired and inspiring Beatles ending. I LOVED the flowers in their hair and the contrast–in appearance, not soul–of their freedom with the guys who looked like accountants playing the horns. And wasn’t that a sneak shot of their fan, Mick Jagger? Cheers!
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Back then, The Beatles were the most famous people in the world. Their popularity and influence were astonishing.
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Thank you! Where would we be without it, eh! Congrats on another successful ‘shoot’and blog, Neil. Look forward to the next one. All the very best. x
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I’m always glad to hear from you. Take care. Enjoy the weekend!
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A perfect excursion with a perfect theme, Neil. For many reasons, now is the timing which empowers love.
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Hi there. I appreciate your comments. Who is this, though? You’re listed as Anonymous.
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I enjoyed reading about your thoughts & experiences, Neil. I wasn’t aware these sculptures were so popular & widespread. BTW, have you seen the Cirque du Soleil performance called Love? It’s the best one we’ve seen. ☀️
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Hi. I saw Cirque about 30 years ago. I’d love to see them again.
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Thoroughly enjoyed this.
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Hi, and thanks. I appreciate it.
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These are great reflections on love, Neil. And thank you for the link to the Beatles’ song–it’s always good to hear it.
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Hi there, Tanja. That footage of The Beatles is from 57 years ago. I’m glad it’s on the internet and available to be watched.
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Their music is timeless!
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Those were the days indeed…
I actually never saw the Beatles on TV, we lived in the wrong countries. I do remember the landing on the moon… Out-wordly.
Take care
Brian
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Morning, Brian. I’m not positive about this, but their 1967 performance of All You Need Is Love might have been the final time The Beatles played live on television. See ya.
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Cheers…
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Love this post! 😀
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The LOVE art has become a cherished symbol I wish everyone would think of first when they think of our area (I live in Philly suburbs as well). I think your mission was definitely a worthy accomplishment, and perhaps one day I’ll take that welcoming tour of the sculptures as well. The Beatles had it right then…and still do to this day. Great post.
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Evening, Bruce. Thanks for visiting. Appreciated. The Beatles were all about peace, love and understanding. Well, not entirely. Substantially, though.
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Neil, thank you very much for visiting my site as well…and very happy to be here.
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The original large-scale LOVE sculpture dates to 1970 and lives at the Indianapolis Art Museum. It used to be displayed outside, but has been moved inside the museum building. You are right that there seems to be a universal appeal to Robert Indiana’s creation.
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Hi. In Philadelphia, I think the two most famous sculptures are the LOVE piece near City Hall, and the Rocky statue, which is near the Philadelphia Museum Of Art. They are tourist attractions.
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