Milan's Finance Finger: A Profane Symphony by Cattelan

Situated in Piazza degli Affari, home to the Italian stock exchange, a sculpture, far from ordinary, stands as a peculiar landmark. This sculpture is none other than the provocative L.O.V.E, or Il Dito in Italian, the work of the aforementioned Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. The sculpture showcases a hand, missing four fingers, remnants of but one middle digit. Curiously or ironically, L.O.V.E. is an acronym for 'Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità', which translates to 'Freedom, Hatred, Revenge, Eternity' in English.

Commissioned in 2010 at Cattelan's retrospective at The Royal Palace of Milan, the sculpture, planned initially as a temporary exhibit, was made permanent in 2011 following the intervention of the new assessor for culture, Stefano Boeri, and a generous donation by Cattelan himself. The sculpture still resides in Piazza Affari, adhering to Cattelan's conditions. While the sculpture's true meaning remains shrouded in mystery, two accepted interpretations persist.

Some view it as a critique of religious fanaticism and fascist symbols, while others argue it's a protest against financial institutions in the wake of the 2008 crisis. Nonetheless, the sculpture's actual message, if we are to believe, may not coincide with these assessments.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons