Let's get to know the story behind the most photographed sculptures by tourists in Manhattan: the Charging Bull of Wall Street and the Fearless Girl.
If we walk south along Broadway, at the end of the street we'll come across Bowling Green, Manhattan's oldest park. Right there, in a small triangular plaza, stands the sculpture of the famous Wall Street Bull, or The Charging Bull.
This beautiful bronze sculpture, weighing approximately 3,500 kilos, is the work of Italian sculptor Arturo Di Modica. On December 15, 1989, he surprised the city by installing it in front of the New York Stock Exchange, as a Christmas gift for its residents.
The bull, with its defiant stance, symbolizes the strength and drive of the market when it's "bullish," as it's known in financial circles. Shortly after, the bull was relocated to its current spot, and today it's one of the most photographed places in the Big Apple.
But the story doesn't end there. On March 7, 2017, passersby who regularly walked through the area found a small sculpture, 1.30 meters tall. It depicted a young girl facing the bull in a defiant stance, chin up, hands on her hips. They called her The Fearless Girl, and she's the work of artist Kristen Visbal.
The piece was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors as part of the launch campaign for the SPDR Gender Diversity Fund, which trades under the ticker (SHE).
Although it was a successful marketing move, the piece drew plenty of criticism. Many argued that the girl facing off against the bull distorted its original meaning, casting the animal in a negative light. That's why Arturo Di Modica asked for it to be relocated elsewhere.
And so she ended up in her current spot, on the opposite side of the street from the New York Stock Exchange building.
