Wall Street’s new “Fearless Girl” is getting her first lesson in manspreading.
Last month financial group State Street Global Advisors erected a statue of a young woman staring down the iconic New York bull sculpture, her arms akimbo. Arturo Di Modica, the artist behind the original bull, is not amused. The sculptor’s lawyers today say they want the girl moved.
“It infringes on [Di Modica’s] copyright and trademark. It was a commercial attempt to trade on the bull to put the sculpture where it is,” says Steven Hyman, one of the lawyers representing the sculptor. Di Modica has been vocal about his distaste for the new statue, calling it a corporate advertising stunt.
Ahead of Di Modica’s statement city mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted:
The artist stealthily erected his sculpture overnight in 1989, and though New York Stock Exchange had it taken down immediately, city leaders rallied to have it moved to the location where it has resided until today. The “Fearless Girl,” armed with a permit from the city, was meant to highlight the gender gap in corporate leadership. It’s indeed become a great photo op for State Street.
Di Modica originally meant for the bull to symbolize the virility of the American work ethic, following the 1987 crash, and not as a symbol of male dominance, a statue ready to charge down young women. But if he gets his way, that’s exactly what the bull will become.
This post has been updated with comments from Steven Hyman.