April 12 (UPI) — Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor who created the iconic Charging Bull sculpture on Wall Street, is accusing New York City of violating his rights and threatening a lawsuit over the Fearless Girl statue.
During a press conference Wednesday, Di Modica’s attorney, Norman Siegel, said that he and his client request the Fearless Girl statue be moved elsewhere.
“We’re not asking it to be banned. Let me confront the issue you’re going to ask me. Gender equality is a very serious, substantial issue,” Siegel said. “None of us here today are in any way not proponents of gender equality, but there are issues of copyright and trademark that needed to be and still need to be addressed. So remove her and place her somewhere else in the city. We’ve got lots of ideas, and damages must be awarded to Arturo for violation of his legal statutory rights.”
The Fearless Girl statue was placed at its present spot, directly in front of Charging Bull, in Manhattan’s financial district to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8.
Kristen Visbal sculpted the statue and placed it in New York City’s Bowling Green park near the State Street Global Advisors financial firm. The statue’s popularity led many to call for its permanent placement near the New York Stock Exchange. New York City officials said the statue will not be moved until 2018.
Di Modica said Fearless Girl is “an advertising trick” by State Street Global Advisors and the McCann advertising firm. He also said the statute infringes on his artistic copyright because it changes the creative dynamic of Charging Bull.
Di Modica said he spent $350,000 and two years creating Charging Bull, which he placed on Wall Street without permission after the 1987 stock market crash to symbolize the United States’ resilience. He also said Fearless Girl has only brought negative attention to Charging Bull.
“I put it there for art,” Di Modica previously said. “My bull is a symbol for America. My bull is a symbol of prosperity and for strength.”
