Print

photo gallery

Love + Heart Sculptures Around the World

Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE Sculpture began as a print in the 1960s.  It first showed up as a sculpture n 1970.  That original version is at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Here I have collected some of the other versions that exist around the world.  (For a complete list, visit Wikipedia.)  In honor of Valentine’s Day, I have added in some other sculptures that spell out “love,” and also a few hearts.  Enjoy.

1. This popular LOVE sculpture sits on a busy sidewalk just outside the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. 
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

2. We spent a few weeks travelling in Japan on a romantic trip.  In Tokyo, Japan, we headed out one evening to discover the gay scene in Shinjuku and stumbled on this giant LOVE sculpture.  We just had to stop and take a photo of us posing by it.  Turns out this is one of the most photographed areas of Nishi-Shinjuku and a popular landmark.
Photographed by Stefan and Sebastien, Nomadic Boys

3. This picture was taken back in 2014 during our trip to Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.  We were in town for a cousin’s wedding.  Being fans of arts and museums, we thought to visit the Indianapolis Museum of Art the following day.  It was, after all, the eighth largest encyclopedic art museum in the United States.  Before going in, we saw the sculpture called “Love” by Robert Indiana in front of the museum.  We learned that while the LOVE sculpture exists in different versions around the world, the original one that was created in 1970 was being repaired and we were standing in front of it.  The artwork was brought outdoors to be re-weathered.  It was undergoing an overhaul from the rust that has been corroding it over the years.  After 4 years, it is now inside the museum with its restored dark brown corteen steel hue.
Photographed by Yamy Hartsough, Gofamgo

4. In this image, the LOVE sculpture is viewed between the iconic “Spoonbridge and Cherry” and the newer, blue “Hahn/Cock” sculptures in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  The entire sculpture garden, operated jointly by Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, was reopened in 2017 after major renovations.  We included it in our travel story about visiting downtown Minneapolis.
Photographed by Kristin Henning, Travel Past 50

5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is known as the City of Brotherly Love, and to commemorate their reputation as a love abounding city, they have built a love sculpture in John F. Kennedy Plaza, otherwise known as Love Park.  The sculpture was built in 1976 and has since become one of Philadelphia’s main tourist attractions.  We figured visiting Philadelphia for a family wedding would be the perfect opportunity to check out this iconic love sculpture.
Photographed by Cara Crawford, Crawford Creations

6. That iconic LOVE sculpture that you’ve seen all around Instagram exists in a few locations.  In New York City it’s specifically located at West 55th Street and 6th Avenue.  It’s on public property right at the intersection so it’s hard to miss.  I’ve been to New York a fair amount of times but never got to see the sculpture so the last time I was there I made sure to specifically seek it out. It makes for great photos and I’m glad I finally got to see it!
Photographed by Liliane Fawzy, My Toronto My World

7. Molly found love at SFMOMA in San Francisco, California, while cruising the museum. We all leave our heart in this romantic city.
Molly Blaisdell, Her Journey to 50

8. This print version of “LOVE” by Robert Indiana hangs in the McNay Museum in San Antonio, Texas. 
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

9. This is by Robert Indiana, and a play on his famous “LOVE” sculpture.  It is displayed in the National Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C. 
Photographed by Carol Fowler

10. This sculpture is in the Billy Rose Art Garden, on the grounds of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Israel.  It spells out “LOVE” in Hebrew.  I was in Jerusalem for a conference in 2017 and took some time out to wander around the sculptures of the Art Garden.  It was a peaceful Sunday morning–I  had the place almost to myself–and all I could hear was birdsong and church bells in the distance. 
Photographed by Karen Warren, Worldwide Write

11. This sculptural spelling of LOVE is in an atrium area of The Venetian casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.  I was there for my nephew’s flash mob wedding officiated by Elvis, and so it all tied together nicely.
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

12. I originally discovered this love sculpture on Facebook through Virginia Is For Lovers. They had posted a photo of it and I remember thinking how cool it was that they used the natural V in the tree to spell out love.  As luck would have it this sculpture was located in Covington, Virginia, where my boyfriend (now husband) was living at the time!  The next time I was in town we went to check it out together and I’ve been in love with it ever since.  The love sculpture is located right in front of Humpback Bridge, a covered bridge set in a picturesque little creekside park.  Little did I know a few months later we would get engaged in that very park right in front of the love sculpture!
Photographed by Cara Crawford, Crawford Creations

13. The “Love” Installation in Toronto, Canada’s historic Distillery District always draws a crowd.  The wire frame is covered in love locks that date back quite a number of years.  The Distillery District itself is iconic for photographers and tourists in Toronto.  The old red brick factories make a wander around the area a great idea in the summer, or in the winter when the Christmas Markets are open!  We explored the District in the summertime while Lisa was visiting Canada before moving there.  You can visit the numerous shops, grab a bite to eat, enjoy ice cream, and try a flight of beer on the patio for Ontario’s own Mill Street Brewery.  All in all, the Love letters are a prefect precursor for couples enjoying their time in the big city.
Photographed by Eric and Lisa, Penguin and Pia

14. Everyone seems to leave their heart in San Francisco, California.  Giant new hearts are installed around the town each year to raise money for the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation.  Few tourists or locals are able to resist getting their photo taken in front of one.  Here, a large group poses in front of a colorful version in San Francisco’s Union Square.
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

15. While we were on our motorbike journey across Europe, we discovered the Le Coeur de Troyes (the heart of Troyes) in the Champagne area of France.  During the day it glistens like silver lace in the sun.  With the bubbling water fountains at the front, it is the perfect stop on the river banks.  Surrounded by beautiful houses it is also a popular place for ‘selfie lovers’ from all over the world.  After the sun sets you see it from a completely different perspective as it lights up in a glowing red . . . almost reminding you of the real thing.
Photographed by Michele Legge, Legging It

16. This striking double heart sculpture was displayed in the Meyerman Sculpture Garden just outside the Muse Cafe in the Palm Springs Art Museum.  Located in the heart of downtown Palm Springs, California, the museum features an art collection that rivals urban metropolitan museums and boasts major collections of modern and contemporary art, glass, photography, architecture and design, and Native American and Western art.  It has two outdoor sculpture gardens, a café featuring American and Continental cuisine, and a museum store.
Photographed by Lee Daley, Epicurean Destinations

17. Smaller than these other LOVE sculptures, this is a sweet coffee table-sized version that I spied in an art- and craft-centered shop in the little seaside fishing village of Bucerias, in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole

18. This print version of “LOVE” by Robert Indiana hangs in the SFMOMA in San Francisco, California.
Photographed by Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Travels with Carole