Arturo Di Modica with his bull. Photo via Wikimedia.
GEOFFREY COBB
Author, “Greenpoint Brooklyn’s Forgotten Past”
gcobb91839@Aol.com
The Charging Bull sculpture is a New York Icon, representing the power of Wall Street and the strength of capitalist institutions. The iconic bronze statue that charms visitors to Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan is one of the most popular Instagram photos in New York. Visitors from around the world take selfies with the massive, menacing Bronze bull, but few of those taking selfies know the amazing story behind the creation of this iconic piece of New York art.
Few Greenpointers realize that the iconic charging Bull bronze statue that sits in Bowling Green was actually created in Greenpoint at the Bedi-Makky, fine arts foundry on India Street. It is the same foundry where the world’s largest bronze sculpture, the Marine Corps Memorial depicting the raising of the American flag over Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima was also cast there.
Most people seeing the iconic bronze bull imagine that the stock market or some investment house commissioned the work, but it is actually a piece of renegade art with a fascinating back story. The bull was the creation of Sicilian-born artist Arturo di Modica, who had arrived as a penniless artist in New York and had ended up becoming a respected sculptor and driving a Ferrari. Di Modica felt indebted to America for welcoming him and enabling his success. With Wall Street suffering a lack of confidence from its huge losses on “Black Monday,” he decided to give Wall Street a get-well present that, symbolized Wall Street’s bold future. Di Modica later said, “My point was to show people that if you want to do something in a moment when things are very bad, you can do it. You can do it by yourself. My point was that you must be strong.”
He conceived the iconic Charging Bull sculpture, which was intended to inspire each person to persevere through the hard times. Di Modica spent the next two years working with Bedi-Maki creating the 16-foot bronze, while personally financing the huge $350,000 cost.
He finished his sculpture, but the New York Stock Exchange denied his request to place it on Wall Street, his intended location. Never one to be thwarted, Di Modica schemed.
Lacking a city permit for the bull, he devised his greatest caper. Di Modica spent weeks scouting Lower Manhattan after midnight, taking note of how often police officers passed by. Then, around 1 a.m. on Dec. 15, he loaded his sculpture onto a flatbed truck and drove to Broad Street, near the stock exchange, where about 40 of his friends were waiting with a crane and a truck.
When the sculptor and his friends arrived at the spot he had picked, they were surprised to see a Christmas tree had been erected there. “Drop the bull under the tree,” he shouted. “It’s my Christmas gift.” They carried out a lightning-swift operation to plant the statue near Bowling Green park, a short stroll from the headquarters of the stock exchange, without city approval. After depositing the bronze bull, Di Modica and his friends uncorked a bottle of champagne to celebrate. Di Modica stayed by the bull all night and greeted the astonished morning commuters as they gazed in wonder at the sculpture.
The Bull was removed by the city, but its creator was determined. Di Modica found out where his bull was taken, and paid $500 to retrieve it, while headlines about his caper spread around the world, including the front page of the New York Post. The headlines created a public outcry demanding the bull’s return and Parks Commissioner Henry Stern arranged for the sculpture’s installation at Bowling Green on December 20th of that year, where it still stands The bull quickly became one of America’s most famous works of art and a draw for millions of tourists, most of them completely unaware of the sculpture’s illicit installation.
In 2017, Charging Bull received media attention when a sculpture of a small female child called Fearless Girl appeared in front of it. Di Modica complained the sculpture changed the meaning of his work and threatened litigation, and at one point in exasperation stated: “Now I’m going to turn around the bull myself.”
Di Modica spent the final years of his life on several major projects, including a secretive monument called Unfinished Journey that would have marked the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026. Built of stainless steel and bronze, he sculpted “a sailing ship representing the very imperfect start to the American experience” and “the [continuing] quest for a more perfect union.” He died of cancer in 2021.
