on art

Wall Street’s ‘Charging Bull’ Artist Says ‘Fearless Girl’ Sculpture Infringes on His Artistic Rights

Fearlessly standing her ground. Photo: Volkan Furuncu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Ready for an art war? Italian-born sculptor Arturo Di Modica, who created the massive “Charging Bull” bronze sculpture on Wall Street after the 1987 stock market crash, has a bone to pick with the creatives behind the new “Fearless Girl” sculpture, saying that it’s distorting and detracting from his original work. Di Modica’s attorney claims that the feminist sculpture — which was placed across from “Charging Bull” to celebrate International Women’s Day in March by artist Kristen Visbal — is nothing more than an “advertising trick” conjured up by State Street Global Advisors and McCann, and that the sculpture’s presence “infringed on his own artistic copyright by changing the creative dynamic to include the other bold presence.” As a result he’s challenging New York City’s authorities to have “Fearless Girl” removed before its intended February 2018 closing. “We’re all for gender equality,” his attorney told the Washington Post. “But the questions are because there are other issues.”

Interestingly, both sculptures appeared on the small Wall Street walkway in similar fashions — the two artists both installed their respective works in the middle of the night without permits, with New York City eventually letting them remain due to overwhelmingly positive public responses. Di Modica plans to hold a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to further address his course of action, though it’s unclear if he plans to formally file a lawsuit.

‘Charging Bull’ Artist Waging Battle Against ‘Fearless Girl’