The sculptor of Wall Street's "Charging Bull" is accusing New York City of infringing on the copyright of his sculpture by extending the temporary installation permit for the "Fearless Girl" statue, after having done a similar thing when he installed his sculpture in 1989.
New York City doesn't give out permanent permits for sculptures it doesn't own, which is how artist Arturo Di Modica started out. In an act of guerilla art, he installed his "Charging Bull" in front of the New York Stock Exchange in December 1989, without a permit.
The sculpture was impounded by the city but the public appeal it generated forced officials to bring it back, just two blocks farther south from where Di Modica had originally placed it.
"Fearless Girl" was installed, with a temporary permit, on International Women's Day by State Street Global Advisors as part of a campaign to pressure companies to add more women to their boards. After a petition and a lot of tourist as well as social media attention, New York City officials extended the permit until 2018.
In March, Di Modica called "Fearless Girl" an advertising trick and appealed to officials to remove the statue. "Women, girls, that's great, but that's not what that (my sculpture) is," he told MarketWatch. "I put it there for art. My bull is a symbol for America. My bull is a symbol of prosperity and for strength."
Di Modica and his lawyer will hold a press conference to explain how he will challenge the city, which gave "Fearless Girl" a permit to stay in front of the bull until February 2018.
The artist told AP that having another bold presence changes the creative dynamic of his installation.
The complaint got the attention of New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, who responded on Twitter:
Men who don’t like women taking up space are exactly why we need the Fearless Girl. https://t.co/D2OZl4ituJ
— Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 12, 2017
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