Bull Wall Street – the iconic sculpture of New York

The Bull Wall Street is a must stop for anyone visiting the financial district of New York and is also one of the most recognized and emblematic points of the city.

This bronze sculpture dating from 1989 was the creation of the Italian Arturo Di Modica (1941-2021) and cost $360,000. It weighs more than 3 tons and is about 3 meters tall. The sculpture represents a bull with its head lowered and its horns raised as if it were about to charge.

The story goes that the sculpture was a Christmas gift that Di Modica gave to the city of New York, since when he immigrated to the United States in the 70s, he arrived penniless, which made him feel indebted to the country for allow him to progress in his career as a sculptor.

Bearing in mind that the bull has traditionally been associated with vigor and determination, what Di Modica sought in his work was to spread a positive and hopeful message, representing the strength and power of the American people along with the aggressiveness and courage of stockbrokers faced the financial crisis of 1987 when on October 19 of that year, the United States stock market experienced one of the biggest falls in history. The stock indices experienced falls that came to exceed 20% in a single day. This date has subsequently been remembered in the financial world as “Black Monday”.

Although the sculpture has now become an icon of New York City, the truth is that it began as a controversial piece of street art that Di Modica created, financed and installed without permission on the streets of the city, what is known under the name of ‘guerrilla art’.

The Italian-American artist was already known for designing works of art and secretly placing them on public roads at night, and true to his style and after 2 years of working on the work, on the morning of December 14, 1989, The artist arrived by truck at the main entrance of the New York Stock Exchange building and, in less than five minutes, installed the sculpture with the help of 40 friends under the large Christmas tree that stands there.

Of course from Wall Street they did not agree with this initiative, but the neighbors protested and asked that it remain. The popularity of the bull was so great that citizens and tourists demanded that the bull be permanently placed in Bowling Green Park, very close to Wall Street, since due to traffic and security problems it could not remain in its original location.

The reasons for its permanence, in addition to the meaning of the American dream, is the tourist potential that the structure generated.

For more than three decades, this sculpture has been visited by hundreds of people every day, who pose from all angles to take photos.

Over the years, and surprisingly, an urban legend was created that anyone who rubs the bull’s nose, horns, and testicles will have good luck in the future. Therefore, sometimes tourists line up to achieve this task.

For those who visit the iconic famous bull, they have to consider the long lines of tourists waiting to take the famous photo. It is advisable to plan the visit first thing in the morning or at night to avoid crowds.

During all these years, the Wall Street bull has experienced multiple events in the financial history of the United States and has been vandalized on some occasions. In 2017, on March 8, International Women’s Day, the Bull was joined by a smaller bronze statue, but just as ferocious, called “Fearless Girl” which symbolizes the courage of women to face positions of leadership in management positions in the financial world.

Di Modica accused New York City of “violating his legal rights” by allowing the statue to be installed in front of his own, saying it changed “the creative dynamic” of the bull and diverted visitors’ attention. The years passed and the request of the artist, who died in 2021, was not heard since the statue of the little girl remains, facing the fierce “Wall Street bull”.

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