Charging Bull, the Wall Street Bull

Arturo Di Modica first came up with the idea for New York's charging bull as a way of celebrating the American spirit of power, especially in New York, where people from all over the world could come to, regardless of their origin and of their circumstances, and through hard work and determination overcome all obstacles to be successful. The bull is a symbol of virility and bravery, which Arturo saw as the perfect antidote to the Wall Street breakdown of 1987.

Arturo spent over two years working on the now world famous charging bull in his study on Crosby Street in Soho district, Manhattan. It was his most ambitious and largest sculpture work to date, so large that the bull had to be constructed in separate bronze pieces and then laboriously solded together and finished by hand. Upon its completion at the end of 1989. the bull weighed over three and a half tonnes and measured 18 feet in length.

Of course, there was only one place fit for this inspirational present to New York and to the world.

In the early hours of the morning of Friday, December 15th 1989, Arturo installed the bull with the help of friends on the wide street just in front of the New York Stock Exchange. The night before, he had visited the site with a stopwatch to check how often police patrols frequented the area. He estimated he would need to place the bull and leave the area all within four and a half minutes to avoid being seen. On the morning of the planned installation however, Arturo and his team discovered that during the daytime, the New York Stock Exchange had placed a large Christmas tree outside, blocking the road. Arturo couldn't turn the truck around. Arturo then decided to place the bull just beneath the tree, making it look like a huge Christmas present to the city and to the world. The following day, the charging bull made headlines all over the world, and huge numbers of emotional spectators and press representatives crowded around the mysterious sculpture which seemed to have come out of nowhere.

By the end of the day, the sculpture had been removed by the New York Stock Exchange, but thanks to the then Park Commissioner Henry Stern, mayor Ed Koch and Arturo Piccolo of the Bowling Green Association, a permanent home was found for the charging bull near to Bowling Green. The bull is still there today, visited by thousands of tourists every year, a talisman for the Wall Street traders, and a source of pride for New York citizens.