‘LOVE’ — with a slanted ‘O’: University of Utah welcomes massive iconic sculpture to campus

Valentine’s Day is still a week away — but a massive three-dimensional block of “LOVE” arrived early at the University of Utah.

On Saturday, the state’s flagship university celebrated the installation of American pop artist Robert Indiana’s iconic “LOVE” sculpture (“Red Outside Blue Inside”) on the south lawn of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

The 12-by-12-by-6-foot sculpture — which was installed earlier this week during overnight hours — has already become a selfie magnet. Scores of people gathering to celebrate the newest campus addition took advantage of Saturday’s spring-like weather for photos.

With its bold red letters — and its distinct slanted “O” — Indiana’s “LOVE” sculpture is one of the world’s most recognizable pop art images. Now university officials and donors hope it becomes an inviting symbol of friendship, unity and optimism at a moment when American college campuses are often associated with tumult and division.

“This is indeed an incredible day,” said University of Utah President Taylor Randall on Saturday, saluting each of the organizations who helped the “LOVE” sculpture find a new home at the school.

Bringing the $4.5 million sculpture to the University of Utah was the joint effort of the State of Utah and a variety of university donors — including The Coburn Family Trust, The John and Marcia Price Foundation, O.C. Tanner Company, The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Zions Bank, and a gift in honor of Scott and Jesselie Anderson from The Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation.

Randall has been asked why the University of Utah would acquire a major piece of art when college budgets are tight.

The university, he responded, brings in students to inspire intellect. “But we also try to teach them about emotion — and how emotion moves society.”

Randall noted there are “two great emotions” motivating society: one is fear. The other, love.

Only one of those sentiments is positive, he said. “And it’s the role of this institution to create positive change. And so to have a statue that screams love in the midst of often chaos, competition and argument, it puts our priority — both as a society and as an institution — in perspective.”

The president said it’s his hope that the work being produced across campus is motivated by love. “Because if it’s motivated by love, it actually speaks a lot for our future.”

Love, he added, is a choice. “(Love) should be the great motivator.”

A ‘New Yorker’ finds a new home in Utah

First created in the 1960s, there are 86 iterations of Indiana’s “LOVE” sculpture — but only nine were produced in the 12-by-12-by-6-foot parameters of the work now installed at the University of Utah, according to the school.

Prior to being purchased and relocated to Utah, the sculpture was located on the corner of 55th Street and 6th Avenue in New York City for more than two decades. It was reportedly acquired through Christie’s auction house when it became available for sale in 2024.

UMFA Executive Director Gretchen Dietrich thanked President Randall and his team — including workers who installed the sculpture in the February cold — for their combined efforts to bring “LOVE” to the University of Utah.

Dietrich also applauded the donors whose generosity helped acquire the “LOVE” sculpture. “And I also wish to express gratitude to the Utah State Legislature’s continued support of the University of Utah, and commend our leaders for their honoration of art.”

She also saluted the tenacity of former UMFA advisory board member Jonathan Freedman to help launch the school’s successful pursuit of the “LOVE” sculpture.

The “LOVE” sculpture “is now a highlight of the UMFA’s permanent collection of over 22,000 artworks — and the museum and the university are committed to its long-term care and preservation for future generations,” said Dietrich.

The newly installed “LOVE” sculpture, she added, doubles as a reminder of the need to work together to build communities reflecting institutional and personal values, “and to create public spaces where all people — our students, perhaps most especially — feel welcome, valued and safe.”

Lisa Eccles, the president and COO of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, told the Deseret News that the “LOVE” sculpture is a beloved piece of art that has been seen by legions in New York City for more than 20 years.

“And now to have it on campus is just going to be a treasure.”

Eccles added Utah is an apt home for the “LOVE” sculpture “because our community and our state are about love and giving back and volunteering and taking care of each other.

“So what a great reminder of what we should be striving for.”