Couple Kissing at LOVE Sculpture JFK Park - Philadelphia

A young couple kisses under the iconic LOVE statue in JFK Park (aka Love Park,) in Center City. The French Second Empire facade of City Hall is in the background.

The famed LOVE sculpture was created by American artist Robert Indiana and is based on his 1964 design featuring the stacked letters L-O-V-E with the tilted O. The sculpture now in LOVE Park is the same, original work that was first placed there in 1976 as part of the U.S. Bicentennial celebration. After the Bicentennial, it was briefly removed in 1978, but due to popular demand, local businessman F. Eugene “Fitz” Dixon Jr. purchased it and donated it to the City, allowing it to stay permanently in the plaza.

The sculpture has become one of Philadelphia’s most recognizable landmarks, lending the park its popular name (LOVE Park) and drawing countless photos, proposals, and gatherings over the decades.