Giant hand from the sky makes its mark in London

Passers-by would be forgiven for staring; in fact they would be encouraged to gawk at the giant hand reaching down from the sky to hold a car.

The 4.6m-high Vroom Vroom art installation - complete with Roman numberplate - will be on show on Park Lane in Mayfair, London, until April.

(GETTY IMAGES)

The artwork features the hand of a child lifting a vintage black Fiat 500, the first car owned by the sculptor, Lorenzo Quinn.

The artist took inspiration for the child's hand from his own son's hand.

"Vroom Vroom symbolises part of my independence, my freedom and my personal growth," Quinn said.

"This was the first car I bought with the money I made in my firsts jobs.

"It was very difficult to obtain it but when I bought it I felt released. I had achieved something very desired and, what is more important, I bought it with my own efforts. I didn't depend on my parents anymore, I was an adult."

Artdaily.org said the Fiat was Quinn's talisman.

"Once a client that was visiting his studio told him 'that car is too small, it looks like a toy'," Artdaily said.

"This comment led him to the conclusion that the only difference between a child and an adult is often the price of the toy."

Quinn, who is the son of Hollywood star Anthony Quinn, was born in Rome in 1966 and was raised in the United States and Italy.

He "discovered his love and devotion for art" while living in Italy and at the age of 21 the United Nations commissioned a work of art by Quinn that was later used on a stamp.

His sculpture of St Anthony for the Vatican was blessed by Pope John Paul in St Peter's Square and remains on display in the Basilica del Santo in Padua as one of the city's most-visited monuments.

Vroom Vroom is part of Westminster Council's two-year City of Sculpture Festival.

"Sixty pieces of art donated by galleries and artists will temporarily be on show in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics".

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