The sculptor of "Charging Bull" that has come to symbolize Wall Street, wants "Fearless Girl" out of the way. But the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio has insisted the "Fearless Girl" should stay put.
The statue of "Fearless Girl" with her hands defiantly on her hips has become a tourist sensation since the installation last month across from the bull. Her sculpture was placed there by a financial firm to advocate the inclusion of more women on corporate boards.
"We wouldn't move the Charging Bull statue if it offended someone," de Blasio tweeted on Wednesday. He believes that the "Fearless Girl" sculpture has subverted the message of the bull sculpture, which he defines as "freedom in the world, peace, strength, power and love," according to the New York Times.
However, Arturo Di Modica, who sculpted the bull, insists that the girl is "an insult to his work." His lawyer, Norman Siegel, states that the "Fearless Girl" sculpture makes the bull "representational of male dominance and Wall Street," which he regards as a copyright infringement.
Filing a lawsuit will be considered as an option if "Fearless Girl" isn't moved, he said. "We're not saying that it should be moved out of the city. It just needs to be placed in another place," said Siegel, a civil rights lawyer who also supports gender equality, according to KTLA.
The "Charging Bull" sculpture was installed facing the New York Stock Exchange in Dec. 1989. Although the police removed it because it didn't have a permit, the public support grew so great that the New York city later gave it a permanent home at a nearby spot.
Di Modica said his inspiration to create the bull sculpture came from the stock market crash in 1987. He even sold his family farm in Sicily to pay for the sculpture work. Meanwhile, Kristen Visbal, the sculptor behind the "Fearless Girl," did not answer a request for comment.
