Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor behind Wall Street’s famous Charging Bull statue, has died at the age of 80, according to BBC Italy.
Di Modica passed away in his hometown of Vittoria, Sicily last week. He had been fighting cancer for several years, La Repubblica reported.
The bull was originally installed in New York in 1989 — without permission, and it was designed to represent the “strength and power of the American people” following the 1987 market crash.
Arturo Di Modica, a Sicilian-born sculptor best known for “Charging Bull,” the 3.5 ton bronze sculpture that he illegally deposited in Lower Manhattan one night in 1989, died on Friday. He was 80. https://t.co/hKSNygJWry
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 23, 2021
Police removed the 7,000 pound bronze statue from outside the New York Stock Exchange, but after a public outcry, city officials allowed it to be reinstalled days later in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district.
It has gone on to become a tourist destination, and it’s one of the most iconic symbols of the city.
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