Charging Bull
| Charging Bull | |
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 Charging Bull
Charging Bull
Charging Bull
Charging Bull
Charging Bull
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| Artist | Arturo Di Modica |
| Year | 1989 |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Dimensions | 11 feet (3.4 m) tall & 16 feet (4.9 m) long |
| Weight | 7,100 pounds (3,200 kg) |
| Location | New York City, New York, US |
| 40°42′20″N 74°00′48″W / 40.705576°N 74.013421°WCoordinates: 40°42′20″N 74°00′48″W / 40.705576°N 74.013421°W | |
| Website | Official website |
Charging Bull, which is sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull, is a bronze sculpture that stands in Bowling Green in the Financial District in Manhattan, New York City. Originally guerrilla art, installed unofficially by Arturo Di Modica, its popularity led to it being a permanent feature.
The 7,100-pound (3,200 kg) sculpture stands 11 feet (3.4 m) tall and measures 16 feet (4.9 m) long. 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. 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" and a "Wall Street icon" symbolizing Wall Street and the Financial District.
In Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide, Dianne Durante describes 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 bronze color and hard, metallic texture of the sculpture's surface emphasises the brute force of the creature. 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, according to Durante.
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."
Di Modica told the New York Daily News in 1998:
That bull is one of an edition of five. … I'm hoping the other four will be going to cities all over the world, whenever somebody buys them.
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Wikipedia