Preparations are underway on the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA)’s south lawn near South Campus Drive for the early 2026 arrival of Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture (Red Outside / Blue Inside)—an iconic twentieth-century American artwork.

In addition to its visual and cultural impact, the installation of LOVE is expected to serve as a new landmark for both the University of Utah and the broader Salt Lake City community.

“I’ve always dreamed of siting a major work of art on that corner,” said Gretchen Dietrich, UMFA’s Marcia and John Price executive director. “I think there’s no better way to help visitors find the museum than placing a very large, very recognizable, world-class sculpture there.”

The effort to bring the $4.5 million sculpture to campus was initiated by university donors and state leaders in part to highlight the role UMFA plays as Utah’s public art museum and a destination at the U.

“The UMFA serves as a bridge between our campus and the larger community,” Dietrich said, “and this remarkable artwork will be a beautiful moment of welcome for our many visitors. Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture is more than just an artwork—it’s a piece of American cultural history. We’re proud to provide a home where it can be experienced by everyone, every day.”

Indiana was an influential American artist associated with the Pop Art movement. He served in the United States Army Air Forces before studying at the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition to being a painter and sculptor, Indiana made posters and prints and also designed stage sets and costumes. He is best known for his iconic LOVE image first created in 1964 that may have been the result of his breakup with artist Ellsworth Kelly, who certainly influenced Indiana’s work.

There are 86 iterations of Indiana’s LOVE sculptures, but only nine produced in the 12-by-12-by-6-foot parameters of the university work. The sculpture was located on the corner of 55th Street and 6th Avenue in New York City for more than 20 years. It became available for sale last year.

Public art—defined by state statute as sculptures, murals, architectural elements, glass, textiles, planters and more that is integrated into the built and natural environment and is visible to all—plays an important role in the social, cultural and economic life of Utah by contributing to a sense of place, identity and community pride. Public art helps turn everyday places into engaging spaces.

So much so that LOVE was purchased jointly by the state of Utah (approximately $2 million) as well as private donors, including: The Coburn Family Trust; Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation; John and Marcia Price Family Foundation; O.C. Tanner Company; George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation; and Zions Bank who support UMFA and the University of Utah. Additional costs incurred by the U—including engineering, site preparation and new signage—will be finalized before the formal unveiling and donor celebration.

“Indiana’s sculpture is a perfect example of public art’s power to inspire and bring joy to communities,” said Dietrich. “This is a major artwork by an incredibly important American artist. The UMFA is all about bringing great art and people together, and we’re thrilled that the state and a group of generous donors worked together to make this possible for our community.”

The state of Utah has supported the arts for more than 126 years, beginning with the founding of the country’s first state arts agency in 1899. State legislator Alice Merrill Horne sponsored legislation to launch a state art collection and create what is now the Utah Division of Arts & Museums, part of the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement.

The state’s commitment to art is evident through a variety of ongoing programs, such as purchasing works for the State of Utah Alice Merrill Horne Art Collection, as well as through a public art selection process when new state and university buildings are constructed. The Utah Percent for Art program, (Utah Code Title 9, Chapter 6, Sections 401-409), designates 1% of construction costs of new or renovated public buildings (capped at $200,000 across the state, and at $250,000 in Salt Lake County) to be set aside for commissioning, maintaining and conserving site-specific art.

More than 300 public art works have been installed statewide since the Utah State Legislature created the program in 1985. Those include public art at the U’s Applied Science Complex, where “Life of Tree” by Hypersonic and Plebian Design was installed in 2018. Other examples include two works, “Three Medusae” and “Sisyphus,” created by artist Bruce Shapiro, for the atrium and foyer of the L. S. Skaggs Applied Science Building, which opened in July.

The state legislature’s funding mechanisms underpin a system that creates, installs and preserves art in public spaces for all to enjoy. It enriches our communities, boosts our economy and reflects the values of a state that seeks to integrate art into everyday life.

In the case of the acquisition of Indiana’s LOVE sculpture, state support and private funding will ensure that maintenance, conservation, security and long‑term stewardship of the piece are built into the acquisition, treating it as a public investment.

The LOVE sculpture represents a significant addition to UMFA’s world-class collection of modern and contemporary art and further enhances its growing exhibition of public outdoor sculptures. LOVE will join other notable works currently sited outside the Marcia and John Price Museum building, namely Deborah Butterfield’s Rex from 2002 and Paul Manship’s The Moods of Time: Morning from 1938, contributing to the transformation of the Museum’s exterior spaces into an open-air gallery of important works.

The UMFA holds a strong collection of Pop Art and Hard-Edge Abstraction, with key works by Claes Oldenburg, Alex Katz, Wayne Thiebaud, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha, John McLaughlin, and Ellsworth Kelly. Indiana’s LOVE strengthens this important part of the UMFA’s holdings. The museum also owns two of Indiana’s works on paper from the 1970s: The Golden Future of America and Liberty ’76, making the addition of the sculpture an impactful complement to the museum’s existing collection.

“By bringing LOVE into the UMFA’s permanent collection, we are committing the resources of the Museum to preserve and maintain the sculpture in perpetuity, ensuring that it will be around for all to enjoy for a very long time,” Dietrich wrote when the acquisition was announced.

Crews are working to build a base for the sculpture and replace museum signage. The LOVE sculpture is expected to be installed in February 2026, at which time the public will be invited to enjoy and experience the work of art up close.