Love Symbol

1993

Not on view

On loan to The Met

This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.

In 1993, Prince became embroiled in a contract dispute with his label, Warner Brothers, which sought to limit his prolific output to suit the pace of the marketing department. To reclaim his artistic independence, he changed his name to [symbol] and began appearing in concerts with the word "slave" written across his face in protest of the industry. As part of his new identity as the artist formerly known as Prince, he had instrument maker Jerry Auerswald design and build this guitar in the shape of his eponymous symbol. Prince used variations and copies of this instrument in live performances, including at the 2007 Super Bowl halftime show.

Technical Description:

Carved maple body and neck; 25 ½ in. scale; "love symbol" shape; gold finish throughout body and neck; neck-through-body with "love symbol" inlay at 12th fret; arrow-shaped headstock with arrow-shaped brass truss rod cover; EMG single coil and humbucking pickups, three-way selector switch, volume and tone controls; gold-plated heart-shaped tuning pegs, knobs, and Auerswald bridge with fine tuners

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Love Symbol
Artist: Jerry Auerswald
Artist: Prince Rogers Nelson (American, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1958–2016 Chanhassen, Minnesota)
Date: 1993
Medium: Maple, metal, plastic
Dimensions: Length: ~40 in. (101.6 cm)
Width: ~17 in. (45 cm)
Depth: ~1 5/8 - 1 3/4 in. (4.1 - 4.4 cm)
Weight: ~11-13 lbs.
Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
Credit Line: All Artifacts Courtesy Paisley Park Enterprises, Inc. and The Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson
Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments