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Since New York City does not own the sculpture, it is technically on a temporary permit allowing it to stand on city property, but the temporary permission has lasted since 1989 (when city officials said the new location would not be permanent<ref> [http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/20/nyregion/wall-st-s-bronze-bull-moves-2-blocks-south.html?scp=15&sq=Charging%20Bull&st=cse "Wall St.'s Bronze Bull Moves 2 Blocks South"], Associated Press article, as printed in ''The New York Times'', December 20, 2009, retrieved June 13, 2009</ref>). Art on loan is usually limited to a year's display. (Although the city does not buy art, it accepts donations.)<ref name=blcsb>Lambert, Bruce, [http://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/03/nyregion/neighborhood-report-lower-manhattan-a-campaign-to-save-a-bull.html?scp=8&sq=Charging%20Bull&st=cse "Neighborhood Report: Lower Manhattan; A Campaign To Save a Bull"], article, ''The New York Times'', October 3, 1993, retrieved June 13, 2009</ref> A writer in the ''New York Daily News'' wrote in 1998 that the statue's placement was "beginning to look a mite permanent".<ref name=dsrsdn/> According to an article in ''Art Monthly'', Di Modica, "the authorities, and New York public, view it as a permanent feature of Lower Manhattan."<ref>Lydiate, Henry, [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-31229552_ITM "Public sculpture.(COPYRIGHT)", article, November 1, 2006, ''Art Monthly'', retrieved via the "Access My Library" website, June 13, 2009]</ref>
Since New York City does not own the sculpture, it is technically on a temporary permit allowing it to stand on city property, but the temporary permission has lasted since 1989 (when city officials said the new location would not be permanent<ref> [http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/20/nyregion/wall-st-s-bronze-bull-moves-2-blocks-south.html?scp=15&sq=Charging%20Bull&st=cse "Wall St.'s Bronze Bull Moves 2 Blocks South"], Associated Press article, as printed in ''The New York Times'', December 20, 2009, retrieved June 13, 2009</ref>). Art on loan is usually limited to a year's display. (Although the city does not buy art, it accepts donations.)<ref name=blcsb>Lambert, Bruce, [http://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/03/nyregion/neighborhood-report-lower-manhattan-a-campaign-to-save-a-bull.html?scp=8&sq=Charging%20Bull&st=cse "Neighborhood Report: Lower Manhattan; A Campaign To Save a Bull"], article, ''The New York Times'', October 3, 1993, retrieved June 13, 2009</ref> A writer in the ''New York Daily News'' wrote in 1998 that the statue's placement was "beginning to look a mite permanent".<ref name=dsrsdn/> According to an article in ''Art Monthly'', Di Modica, "the authorities, and New York public, view it as a permanent feature of Lower Manhattan."<ref>Lydiate, Henry, [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-31229552_ITM "Public sculpture.(COPYRIGHT)", article, November 1, 2006, ''Art Monthly'', retrieved via the "Access My Library" website, June 13, 2009]</ref>


==As a tourist attraction==
Hershey Bars

As soon as the sculpture was set up at Bowling Green, it became "an instant hit".<ref name=blcsb/> One of the city's most photographed artworks, it has become a tourist destination in the [[The Financial District (Manhattan)|Financial District]]. "[I]ts popularity is beyond doubt", a ''New York Times'' article said of the artwork. "Visitors constantly pose for pictures around it." Adrian Benepe, the New York City parks commissioner, said in 2004, "It's become one of the most visited, most photographed and perhaps most loved and recognized statues in the city of New York. I would say it's right up there with the [[Statue of Liberty]]."<ref name=dwdbbfs/> In 1993, Arthur J. Piccolo, chairman of the Bowling Green Association, made the same point with the same comparison.<ref name=blcsb/> Henry J. Stern, the city parks commissioner when the statue first appeared in the Financial District, said in 1993: "People are crazy about the bull. It captured their imagination."<ref name=blcsb/>

The statue's popularity with tourists has a very international appeal. One 2007 newspaper report noted a "ceaseless stream" of visitors from India, the United Kigndom, South Africa, Venezuala and China, as well as the United States. Children enjoy climbing on the bull,<ref>Sommers, Carl, [http://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/26/travel/q-and-a-325191.html?scp=27&sq=Charging%20Bull&st=cse "Q and A"], May 26, 1991, ''The New York Times'', October 3, 1993, retrieved June 13, 2009</ref> which sits "famously"<ref name=bglpnyc/> at street level on the cobblestones at the far northern tip of the small park. One popular tourist guidebook assumes that a visitor will want to get his or her picture taken with the statue ("after you pose with the bull [...]").<ref>Eisenberg, Paul, and Erica Duecy, Jennifer Paull [http://books.google.com/books?id=KvMfDAekFh0C&pg=PA54&dq=%22Charging+Bull%22+Modica&ei=pFc0SqqILY-UzATF8dHHDA#PPA54,M1 ''Fodor's New York City 2008''], Random House, Inc., 2007, ISBN 1400017939, 9781400017935, retrieved June 13, 2009</ref>

In addition to having their pictures taken at the front end of the bull, many tourists pose at the back of the bull, near the large testicles "for snapshots under an unmistakable symbol of its virility."<ref>Dunlap, David W., [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/nyregion/17bull.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=Charging%20Bull&st=cse ''Downtown’s Bull, No Longer Emblematic, Remains Popular''], September 16, 2008, ''The New York Times'', retrieved June 13, 2009</ref> According to a ''[[Washington Post]]'' article in 2002, "People on The Street say you've got to rub the nose, horns and testicles of the bull for good luck, tour guide Wayne McLeod would tell the group on the Baltimore bus, who would giddily oblige."<ref>Duke, Lynn, "The Pilgrimage To Ground Zero &mdash; Officials and Tourists Walk A Fine Line on Solemn Ground", ''[[Washington Post]]'', [[February 27]], [[2002]], Edition F, page C1, accessed via newsbank.com subscription archive website (also on High Beam Reasearch subscription archive website) on [[May 4]], [[2008]]</ref> According to a 2004 ''New York Times'' article, "Passers-by have rubbed &mdash; to a bright gleam &mdash; its nose, horns and a part of its anatomy that, as Mr. Benepe put it gingerly, 'separates the bull from the steer.'"<ref name=dwdbbfs/>

A 2007 newspaper account agreed that a "peculiar ritual" of handling the "shinging orbs" of the statue's scrotum seems to have developed into a tradition. One visitor, from Mississippi, told the ''Tribeca Trib'' she did it "for good luck", and because "there’s a kind of primal response when you see something like that. You just have to engage it."<ref name=npbtt/>

The enthusiastic reaction to the sculpture continues into the darker hours. "I’ve seen people do some crazy things to that bull," a disapproving souvenir vendor told the ''Trib'' in 2007, shaking his head. "At night sometimes, when people have been drinking, I’ve seen them do stuff to that bull that you couldn’t print in a newspaper."<ref name=npbtt/>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 05:25, 1 August 2009

File:Charging Bull at Bowling Green 060621.jpg
Charging Bull in Bowling Green, New York

Charging Bull (sometimes called the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull) is a 3,200 kg (7,000 pound) bronze sculpture by Arturo Di Modica that stands in Bowling Green park near Wall Street in New York City.

Standing 11 feet tall[1] (and measuring 16 feet in length[2]), the oversize sculpture depicts a bull, the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, leaning back on its haunches and with its head lowered as if ready to charge. As author Dianne Durante described the sculpture: "The Bull's head is lowered, its nostrils flare, and its wickedly long, sharp horns are ready to gore; it's an angry, dangerous beast. The muscular body twists to one side, and the tail is curved like a lash: the Bull is also energetic and in motion." The gleaming bronze colour and hard, metallic texture of the sculpture's surface emphasises the brute force of the creature depicted. The work was designed and placed so that viewers could walk around it, which also suggests the creature's own movement is unrestricted — a point reinforced by the twisting posture of the bull's body, Durante wrote. "Charging Bull, then, shows an aggressive or even belligerent force on the move, but unpredictably. [...] [I]t's not far-fetched to say the theme is the energy, strength, and unpredictability of the stock market."[3]

"That bull is one of an edition of five", Di Modica told the New York Daily News in 1998. "I'm hoping the other four will be going to cities all over the world, whenever somebody buys them."[4]

The sculpture is both a popular tourist destination, which draws thousands of people a day as well as "one of the most iconic images of New York"[5] and "Wall Street icon"[6] — an unofficial symbol of the Financial District which has appeared in television reports as an image punctuating stories about optimism in the financial market.


Construction and installation

Di Modica spent some US$ 360,000 to create, cast, and install the sculpture following the 1987 stock market crash as a symbol of the "strength and power of the American people."[2] The sculpture was the artist's idea, not the city's. In an act of "guerrilla art", he trucked it to Lower Manhattan and on December 15, 1989, installed it beneath a 60-foot Christmas tree in the middle of Broad Street in front of the New York Stock Exchange as a Christmas gift to the people of New York. That day, crowds came to look at the bull, with hundreds stopping to admire and analyze the gift as Di Modica handed out copies of a flier about his artwork.[2]

The police seized the sculpture and placed it into an impound lot. The ensuing public outcry led the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to install it two blocks south of the Exchange in the plaza at Bowling Green. It faces up Broadway.[7]

Ownership

In 2004, Di Modica announced that the bull sculpture was for sale, on condition the buyer does not move it from its present location. Di Modica continues to own the copyright to the statue. In 2006, Di Modica sued Wal-Mart and other companies for illegally benefiting from his copyright, by selling replicas of the bull and using it in advertising campaigns.[8] In 2009, Di Modica sued Random House for using a photo of the bull on the cover of a book discussing the collapse of financial services firm Lehman Brothers.[9]

As of 2009, small replicas, in three different sizes, were for sale on the sidewalk just across the street from the statue.

Since New York City does not own the sculpture, it is technically on a temporary permit allowing it to stand on city property, but the temporary permission has lasted since 1989 (when city officials said the new location would not be permanent[10]). Art on loan is usually limited to a year's display. (Although the city does not buy art, it accepts donations.)[11] A writer in the New York Daily News wrote in 1998 that the statue's placement was "beginning to look a mite permanent".[4] According to an article in Art Monthly, Di Modica, "the authorities, and New York public, view it as a permanent feature of Lower Manhattan."[12]

As a tourist attraction

As soon as the sculpture was set up at Bowling Green, it became "an instant hit".[11] One of the city's most photographed artworks, it has become a tourist destination in the Financial District. "[I]ts popularity is beyond doubt", a New York Times article said of the artwork. "Visitors constantly pose for pictures around it." Adrian Benepe, the New York City parks commissioner, said in 2004, "It's become one of the most visited, most photographed and perhaps most loved and recognized statues in the city of New York. I would say it's right up there with the Statue of Liberty."[1] In 1993, Arthur J. Piccolo, chairman of the Bowling Green Association, made the same point with the same comparison.[11] Henry J. Stern, the city parks commissioner when the statue first appeared in the Financial District, said in 1993: "People are crazy about the bull. It captured their imagination."[11]

The statue's popularity with tourists has a very international appeal. One 2007 newspaper report noted a "ceaseless stream" of visitors from India, the United Kigndom, South Africa, Venezuala and China, as well as the United States. Children enjoy climbing on the bull,[13] which sits "famously"[3] at street level on the cobblestones at the far northern tip of the small park. One popular tourist guidebook assumes that a visitor will want to get his or her picture taken with the statue ("after you pose with the bull [...]").[14]

In addition to having their pictures taken at the front end of the bull, many tourists pose at the back of the bull, near the large testicles "for snapshots under an unmistakable symbol of its virility."[15] According to a Washington Post article in 2002, "People on The Street say you've got to rub the nose, horns and testicles of the bull for good luck, tour guide Wayne McLeod would tell the group on the Baltimore bus, who would giddily oblige."[16] According to a 2004 New York Times article, "Passers-by have rubbed — to a bright gleam — its nose, horns and a part of its anatomy that, as Mr. Benepe put it gingerly, 'separates the bull from the steer.'"[1]

A 2007 newspaper account agreed that a "peculiar ritual" of handling the "shinging orbs" of the statue's scrotum seems to have developed into a tradition. One visitor, from Mississippi, told the Tribeca Trib she did it "for good luck", and because "there’s a kind of primal response when you see something like that. You just have to engage it."[5]

The enthusiastic reaction to the sculpture continues into the darker hours. "I’ve seen people do some crazy things to that bull," a disapproving souvenir vendor told the Trib in 2007, shaking his head. "At night sometimes, when people have been drinking, I’ve seen them do stuff to that bull that you couldn’t print in a newspaper."[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Dunlap, David W. "The Bronze Bull Is for Sale, but There Are a Few Conditions", article, The New York Times, December 21, 2004, retrieved June 13, 2009
  2. ^ a b c D. McFadden, Robert (1989-12-16). "SoHo Gift to Wall St.: A 3 1/2-Ton Bronze Bull". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  3. ^ a b Durante, Dianne L., Outdoor monuments of Manhattan: a historical guide, NYU Press, 2007, ISBN 0814719872, 9780814719879, retrieved via Google Books on June 13, 2009
  4. ^ a b Singleton, Don, "Rock Solid", article, May 3, 1998, New York Daily News, retrieved June 13, 2009
  5. ^ a b c Pinto Nick, "Bull!", article, September 1, 2007, The Tribeca Trib, retrieved June 13, 2009
  6. ^ Greenfield, Beth and Robert Reid, Ginger Adams Otis, New York City, p 120, publisher: Lonely Planet, 2006, ISBN 1740597982, ISBN 9781740597982 retrieved via Google Books on June 13, 2009
  7. ^ "Wall St.'s Bronze Bull Moves 2 Blocks South". New York Times. 1989-12-20. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  8. ^ "Sculptor of Manhattan 'Charging Bull' statue sues Wal-Mart, others to protect its image". Associated Press. 2006-09-21. Retrieved 2007-07-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Bray, Chad (2009-07-29). "Artist Sues Random House Over Use Of Wall St Bull Image". Dow Jones Newswires. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  10. ^ "Wall St.'s Bronze Bull Moves 2 Blocks South", Associated Press article, as printed in The New York Times, December 20, 2009, retrieved June 13, 2009
  11. ^ a b c d Lambert, Bruce, "Neighborhood Report: Lower Manhattan; A Campaign To Save a Bull", article, The New York Times, October 3, 1993, retrieved June 13, 2009
  12. ^ Lydiate, Henry, "Public sculpture.(COPYRIGHT)", article, November 1, 2006, Art Monthly, retrieved via the "Access My Library" website, June 13, 2009
  13. ^ Sommers, Carl, "Q and A", May 26, 1991, The New York Times, October 3, 1993, retrieved June 13, 2009
  14. ^ Eisenberg, Paul, and Erica Duecy, Jennifer Paull Fodor's New York City 2008, Random House, Inc., 2007, ISBN 1400017939, 9781400017935, retrieved June 13, 2009
  15. ^ Dunlap, David W., Downtown’s Bull, No Longer Emblematic, Remains Popular, September 16, 2008, The New York Times, retrieved June 13, 2009
  16. ^ Duke, Lynn, "The Pilgrimage To Ground Zero — Officials and Tourists Walk A Fine Line on Solemn Ground", Washington Post, February 27, 2002, Edition F, page C1, accessed via newsbank.com subscription archive website (also on High Beam Reasearch subscription archive website) on May 4, 2008

Further reading

  • Durante, Dianne, Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide (New York University Press, 2007): on the Bull's creation and current legal status.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charging Bull.

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