I Love New York by Fernando Romero in New York

I Love New York was created during the height of the pandemic while I was staying with my girlfriend’s family in Connecticut, away from my home and studio in Long Island City. Being separated from the city that has shaped me as a person and an artist was difficult, and during that time art became the one thing that kept me grounded. This mixed-media work combines spray paint, acrylic, and hand-painted details to recreate the layered visual language that defines New York. The composition is inspired by the city’s dense architecture and the way its surfaces build upon one another over time—much like the streets themselves. Graffiti, texture, and overlapping structures reference the raw urban energy that first drew me to creating art in the streets. Draped across the windows are a series of international flags, symbolizing one of the things I love most about New York: its incredible cultural diversity and the way people from all over the world coexist on the same blocks. This piece became a personal reminder of everything I missed about home. Today, I Love New York lives with a private collector in Italy.