Editing LOVE Park (section)

== LOVE Sculpture ==

Robert Indiana's LOVE sculpture has defined the plaza since its permanent installation in 1978, its stacked letters becoming one of Philadelphia's most recognized symbols. The sculpture's simple composition—four letters arranged in a square with the tilted "O"—achieves iconic status through reduction and repetition. The work exists in multiple versions worldwide, but Philadelphia's installation in the plaza renamed for it has become the definitive iteration in public consciousness.<ref name="hine"/>

The sculpture's popularity has made it a required stop for tourists, whose photographs spread the image through social media and personal collections. This photographic reproduction extends the sculpture's reach far beyond its physical location, making LOVE Park famous to people who have never visited Philadelphia. The sculpture demonstrates how public art can define urban identity, creating associations between places and images that shape how outsiders perceive and remember cities.<ref name="gallery"/>