The more than 3-ton bronze sculpture, prosaically titled "Charging Bull," is one of New York's most popular attractions and a symbol of the world's financial district.
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The statue of the bull measures almost 3.5 meters in height and nearly 5 meters in length, and there are often queues of several minutes to take a photo. It is also often called the "Bowling Green Bull" after the park in which it is located.
A symbol of rising stock markets
The statue of the raging bull was installed directly in front of one of the world's major stock exchanges, the NYSE on Wall Street, by Italian artist Arturo di Modica in December 1989. The sculpture was placed there as part of so-called guerrilla art, i.e. illegally without permission from the authorities, in response to the 1987 stock market crash (Black Monday).
The image of the bull carries a clear symbolism, as rising markets are referred to as 'bullish' and investors anticipating rising prices are called 'bulls'. The raging bull thus symbolizes anger at the stock market crash and hope for better times.
The city initially had the illegal statue removed, but it gained such popularity (literally within hours) that New Yorkers pushed for its reinstallation. It was unveiled again on December 21, 1989, not directly on Wall Street, but in nearby Bowling Green Park.
How to get to the bull statue?
The Charging Bull stands at the southern tip of Manhattan and is very easily accessible from several stations, but also on foot, for example from the Brooklyn Bridge.
Nearest subway station:
- Bowling Green (about 30 meters): green lines 4 and 5
- Wall St (approx. 350 metres): Green lines 4 and 5
- South Ferry (approx. 250 metres): red line 1
- Whitehall St (approx. 350 metres): yellow lines R and W
- Broad St (approx. 350 metres): brown line J
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