Wall Street's iconic Fearless Girl statue has moved down the street from her bronze adversary, the Charging Bull she's faced since her March 2017 installation.
The 4-foot girl now stands—hands on her hips and wind whipping her hair—opposite the New York Stock Exchange at 11 Wall Street.
Read more: Why is Fearless Girl moving? Mayor Bill de Blasio announces new location for statue
"We are welcoming her with open arms," Betty Liu, executive vice chairwoman of the exchange, told The New York Times Monday.
"We see [in her] our daughters, mothers, nieces," she said at Monday's unveiling event, according to the BBC. "She represents potential, progress and hope but also all the women who have fought for equality before us."
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the relocation in April. Originally intended as a temporary artwork, the statue's new home will be more permanent.
"She is a powerful symbol of the need for change at the highest levels of corporate America—and she will become a durable part of our city's civic life," he previously said in a statement. "This move to a new location will improve access for visitors and ensure that her message and impact continues to be heard."
Financial services company State Street Global Advisors originally commissioned artist Kristen Visbal to make the statue in 2017, the BBC reported.
"Our hope is that by moving closer to the NYSE [Fearless Girl] will inspire more companies to take action," Cyrus Taraporevala, SSGAs president and CEO, had told CNN. SSGA did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment.
Fearless Girl's corporate origins are not without controversy: It was a disappointment to many who had hoped the statue was a feminist statement independent of the firms that dominate Wall Street.
SSGA itself became mired in a gender pay scandal when the Department of Labor accused the firm of paying some 300 female executives less than their male colleagues. SSGA—which denied the allegations, the BBC reported—agreed to fork over $5 million in a settlement.
The statue also came under fire when Charging Bull artist Arturo Di Modica said it infringed his rights and changed the creative dynamic of his own work.
In spite of these controversies, the statue continues to find praise among tourists and residents alike. As Democrat Representative Carolyn Maloney said at the unveiling: "She says in one image all that advocates can say in pages and pages of arguments and statistics."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Katherine Hignett is a reporter based in London. She currently covers current affairs, health and science. Prior to joining Newsweek ... Read more
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