Walking around Milan – maybe going for a spot of shopping, trying local food and wine or visiting museums and tourist attractions – you might be surprised by a certain sculpture that you could easily just stumble across. In the bustling centre of the city, the Piazza Affari, or Business Square, facing the stock-exchange, there is a giant middle finger – and it is pointed right at the building that serves as the financial headquarters of the country and its occupants.
The sculpture was donated to the city by Italy's most famous contemporary artist, Maurizio Cattelan, on the one condition that it would be placed in this particular location and, surprisingly, the Mayor agreed.
If you have a bit of a cheeky side and love art, this is one more reason to find a vacation rental in Milan and visit the city.
The sculpture was donated to the city by Italy's most famous contemporary artist, Maurizio Cattelan, on the one condition that it would be placed in this particular location and, surprisingly, the Mayor agreed.
If you have a bit of a cheeky side and love art, this is one more reason to find a vacation rental in Milan and visit the city.
Measuring 36 feet in height, this white marble sculpture depicts a hand without fingers, except the middle one, pointing away from Milan's stock market. It is an open and clear condemnation of the international financial management that led to the great global financial crisis that plagued us all in recent years and, in particular, the part that local officials and banks had to play in it.
Understandably, it has raised eyebrows, concerns and hackles in the past, particularly among the city's business and financial establishment. In fact, the stock market Chief Executive Raffaele Jerusalmi, went so far as to state that the view from his third-floor office onto Piazza Affari was ruined and moved to an adjacent wing in the following March after its arrival, stating that he wouldn't "suffer from the finger anymore." The Mayor of the time, Mayor Letizia Moratti, felt, however, that it was important in raising Milan's cultural profile.
Understandably, it has raised eyebrows, concerns and hackles in the past, particularly among the city's business and financial establishment. In fact, the stock market Chief Executive Raffaele Jerusalmi, went so far as to state that the view from his third-floor office onto Piazza Affari was ruined and moved to an adjacent wing in the following March after its arrival, stating that he wouldn't "suffer from the finger anymore." The Mayor of the time, Mayor Letizia Moratti, felt, however, that it was important in raising Milan's cultural profile.
The work is titled, "L.O.V.E.," which is an acronym for love, hate, vendetta, eternity in Italian – though the Milanese refer to it simply as "il dito," (the finger).
Whether you love or hate it, you have to admire that artist's persistence in having it placed where he wished and the mayor's bravery in following through. It is, in all, a curious little part of contemporary history in the city that is sure to make you smile a little and, hopefully, make you think as well.
If you are visiting Milan, it is a perfect photo-op destination and a free attraction that can be easily popped into your itinerary.
Whether you love or hate it, you have to admire that artist's persistence in having it placed where he wished and the mayor's bravery in following through. It is, in all, a curious little part of contemporary history in the city that is sure to make you smile a little and, hopefully, make you think as well.
If you are visiting Milan, it is a perfect photo-op destination and a free attraction that can be easily popped into your itinerary.
Photo credits
picture 1: Lorenzo Gaudenzi / CC BY-SA 4.0
picture 1: Lorenzo Gaudenzi / CC BY-SA 4.0