The Bull of Wall Street is a bronze sculpture located in the Financial District of New York City. It weighs just over 3 tons and measures about 3 meters in height. The sculpture depicts a bull with its head bowed and its horns raised as if it were going to ram.
The bull has traditionally been associated with vigor and determination. Its author, Arturo Di Modica, wanted to represent the strength and power of the American people after the financial crisis of 1987.
It is currently the symbol of New York's Financial District.
The bull of Wall Street is located in Bowling Green, a public park in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City.
It is located next to the site of the original Dutch fort of New Amsterdam. It was named as a park in 1.733 making it the oldest public park in New York.
The statue is located in front of the New York Stock Exchange, in a very popular area and frequented by both executives and visitors.
The history of the Wall Street bull dates back to 1987. On October 19, the U.S. stock market experienced one of the biggest declines in history. The stock indices experienced falls that exceeded 20% in a single day. This date has subsequently been remembered in the financial world as "Black Monday".
The Sicilian sculptor Arturo Di Modica, with residence in New York, moved by this fact decided to create a sculpture that would spread a positive message and hope. The artist invested all his capital, about $ 300,000, in the realization and placement of the bull. Although there have been rumors that it was the city that commissioned the work, the bull was Di Modica's original idea.
Two years later, in 1989, Arturo Di Modica showed the New York public the bull of Wall Street. It was December 15 and Arturo said it was his Christmas gift for the inhabitants of the Big Apple.
Despite being a sculpture of more than 3 tons, the placement was made without prior notice or permission. It was an act of guerrilla art.
Due to the good reception it had from New Yorkers, the city council chose to move it to its current location in Bowling Green Park.
During all these years, the bull of Wall Street has lived through multiple events in the financial history of the United States. It has also seen millions of people around the world pass in front of its antlers.
The statue is primarily a tourist destination. However, he has also been the protagonist of several notable altercations during these years.
For example, in 1997, a man got on the bull and for several hours refused to go down so finally the police had to act. In 2008, during another financial crisis, protesters put a banner on the statue that read "The bull is a lie!"
Being one of the most visited places in the city, some customs have emerged around it. Like, for example, touching his horns and other parts of his body to have a good economy and revisiting New York another time.
The Wall Street bull is a must stop for anyone who visits the financial district of New York and is also one of the most recognized points of the city.
One of the main reasons to visit the bull of Wall Street is that it is an extraordinary work of art, made by a renowned sculptor who lived many years in New York. Both its size and its details are magnificent and it is not only one of the most famous sculptures in the Big Apple, but it is from all over the world.
The bull has accompanied the city in many of the most important events in the financial history of the United States and it is a location full of symbolism and history.
On our trips we take a walk along Wall Street and pay a visit to the famous bull of Wall Street . If you travel on your own and also want to do this tour, follow the following link to book it in Civitatis: Free tour of New York.