That’s ‘Amor:’ Robert Indiana’s bilingual sculpture stays in Philly

Philadelphia proved it’s the City of Brother Love and Amor on Friday as the bilingual version of Robert Indiana’s iconic “Love” sculpture moved to its permanent home in the city.

“Amor” took up residence in Sister Cities Park near the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul with a dedication ceremony Friday afternoon, WHYY reported.

“Robert Indiana has said his ‘Love’ image is a one-word poem, represents how he sees the world. That’s what inspired him to make the ‘Amor’ sculpture,” his representative Simon Salama-Caro said during the dedication. “Demographics are changing in the U.S., and he wanted to offer the universal language of love to the people who speak Spanish as their native language.”

The sculpture was loaned to the city last year ahead of Pope Francis’ visit and had remained at the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps since the pontiff held a mass there.

“Amor” means love in both Pope Francis’ native Spanish and Latin, the long-established language of the Catholic Church.

It is the sister piece to Indiana’s “Love” sculpture, which is being temporarily displayed outside City Hall while its namesake park is under construction.