In a victory for the longstanding Wall Street "Charging Bull" statute, New York City Hall announced the "Fearless Girl" statue will soon move to a new location three blocks away.
"Fearless Girl" was commissioned by the investment firm State Street Global Advisors to advertise an index fund. In March 2017, it was placed in front of the iconic bull statute, a piece of guerrilla art celebrating American entrepreneurship created by Italian immigrant and Free Beacon Man of the Year Arturo Di Modica.
The statute immediately went viral as a feminist icon, with the bull being recast as a symbol of the patriarchy. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren posed with the statue, and it was dressed up as Wonder Woman during the release of the 2017 film. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D., N.Y.) suggested the inanimate statue should ring the NYSE opening bell.
But not everybody loved "Fearless Girl." Di Modica denounced the statue as "an advertising trick" that detracted from and changed the meaning of his art. Another artist created a "pissing pug" statute urinating on "Fearless Girl," which the artist denounced as "corporate nonsense."
The standoff could still live on; the mayor's office announced it is also considering moving "Charging Bull" but has not made a decision.