Art
talian-American artist Arturo Di Modica has been working on a new ‘Charging Bull’ sculpture for the past few months in his Soho studio in New York. The 71 year old is determined to find a UAE buyer for the piece, which is worth up to $4 million. Di Modica became famous after he created the original 3.5 tonne bronze charging bull sculpture in 1989 with his own money and installed it in the middle of the night opposite the New York Stock exchange in a defiant response to the infamous stock market crash two years previous. Since it was not commissioned by New York City as public art, the bull was seized and impounded by the police. Public outcry from New Yorkers forced the Parks and Recreation city authorities to reinstall it. However, they refused to put it back on Wall Street, instead placing the now iconic tourist attraction in Broadway’s bowling green, steps away from Wall Street.
The statue personifies financial optimism and prosperity (the combination of ‘bulls’ and ‘bears’) so it seems that Dubai’s International Financial District would be an obvious choice. Di Modica says that he will “drop” his new bull, which stands 11 ft high, 16 ft long, in Dubai by November of this year, regardless of whether or not its sold. He was in the emirate recently to scope out possible locations to place the sculpture. Since the statue personifies financial optimism and prosperity (the combination of “bulls” and “bears”) it seems that Dubai’s International Financial Centre would be an obvious choice. Two of his life-size works, the bull and the horse in stainless steel are already in the UAE with private collectors. But the artist believes that the emirate needs more public sculptures. “These cities need to be educated to commission such large sculptures so people are forced to stop, look and study the piece. “The point is to slow people down to admire something that may not be in their line of work,” he explained. Di Modica’s representative in the Middle East, Dyanna Sidiropulo, is in negotiations with potential buyers from the UAE who will hopefully commit to investing in the piece. But they have one condition: that it’s not hidden away. “That is why he is not in museums. He wants to have his work interact with the public and in a large space,” Sidiropulo explained.
Di Modica’s dropped his steel horse in DIFC during Art Dubai for visitors to enjoy.
Di Modica beside his iconic ‘Charging Bull’ sculpture in New York.
May / June 2012 GC 59