Charging Bull in New York City

One of the masterpieces in things art in New York City is the Charging Bull. Some refer to the magnificent sculpture as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling inexperienced bull. The sculpture, a creation of Arturo Di Modica, stands at Bowling green in Manhattan, New York City. The sculpture outlines a bull leaning returned with its head lowered and its nostrils flared indicating that it is about to charge. Its muscular body twist in the direction of its left and its tail is curved in the form of a lash. This king size bronze carving weighs 7,100 kilos and boasts being a whopping 11 feet tall and sixteen feet long structure. It is, except doubt, a sight to behold attested to by the tourists who flock in daily just to view and take photos.

The bull was first placed by Arturo, with the help of his friends, on Broad Street at night in front of NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) on December 15th, 1989 without consent. It immediately generated a lot of attention from the public who fancied it. However, the bull was unwelcome to NYSE officials who on the following day, called the police who confiscated it and put it in an impound lot (McFadden, 1998). A public uproar followed the happenings and the mayor; Ed Koch in collaboration with Henry Stern who was the Parks commissioner found a home for it at Bowling green where it stands to this day. This home was meant to be temporary since the statue was not owned by the city. However, to this day the Bowling Green Bull still stands in the park.

The bull is usually a representation of sheer epic strength and determination, and in this case, it is not any different as the beast represents the strength, power and hope of the Americans as proclaimed by Arturo. The bull was a Christmas gift to the people of New York just after the 1987 stock market crash (McFadden, 1998). The bull, therefore, portrayed a bull market and symbolized dynamic financial prosperity and optimism.

The bull has received a lot of love from around the world since being set up thanks to the many who come to visit it annually. The late Nelson Mandela, New York Yankees, New York Giants, Rangers are just some of a few names that have paid a visit to the Wall Street Bull

Arturo Di Modica spent a total of 300,000 dollars to make the sculpture and almost 60,000 install the sculpture on Broad Street. The money spent came from his pocket all for the love of art and America. This cost was all worth it because the iconic sculpture is arguably the most photographed art piece in New York City. Arturo Di Modica in 2004, announced that the bull was on sale, but the city administration apparently reported that it did not have enough money to buy it and therefore Di Modica still owns the carving. A couple of institutions have run into trouble for trying to benefit illegally from the Bull. One such example is Walmart which was sued by Arturo in 2006 for selling replicas of the bull and using it in advertisement campaigns.

Personally, my first visit to the Wall Street Bull was back in 2010.At first sight, I had a great sense of fulfillment and pride to finally get to see the exceptional piece of art that was generating a lot of talks but then I was intimidated by this oversize masculine sculpture breathing confidence and absolute ferocity. All the same, it was a dream come true and indeed an accomplishment for me. I have visited the sculpture almost thrice from then and what I derive from it now is merely an inspiration to work and be the best despite obstacles. I still count myself lucky to have visited the Wall Street Bull, see it with my eyes and take photos. I regard the bull as an iconic symbol and a perfect representation of America and its people. Any trip to New York will be void and incomplete without getting to spot the Wall Street Bull.

References

McFadden, Robert D. (1989-12-16). “SoHo Gift to Wall St. A 3⅟2- Ton Bronze Bull’’ New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com