Artist Maurizio Cattelan make the sculpture in early fall of 2010 and titled it L.O.V.E. It's 13 feet tall, 36 feet tall including the attached based and made entirely of marble. The stock exchange didn't actually commission the piece but did receive city approval before it was created. Why did they accept a giant “F U”? Administrators say “We want to be confirmed as the capital of contemporary art and we have to not only mediate but also accept what we do not like.” How progressive!
The original title was to be “Omina Munda Mundis” which means “to the pure men, all things are pure” but changed it to “L.O.V.E.” It stands for love, but anyone can read between the lines and make up their own mind about what the title means. Whatever you take from it, it just feels good to send the big bankers a big message.
