No one seems to know who owns Wall Streets iconic Charging Bull statue

Who owns Wall Street’s “Charging Bull” statue? Who knows!Nearly four decades after Italian-American sculptor Arturo Di Modica illegally plopped the 7,100-pound bronze bull outside the New York Stock Exchange, its ownership has become shrouded in mystery.The famous bull — which draws scores of tourists to rub its famously shiny rear for good luck — was reportedly sold by Modica to British billionaire investor Joe Lewis in 2004 on the condition it couldn’t be moved, according to the The City Reporter, which first reported on the mysteryHowever, Lewis’s representatives say the family does not technically own the massive beast, which sits in its agreed-upon home in Bowling Green.Jessi Blakley, a spokesperson for Lewis’ investment firm Tavistock Group, told the outlet the investor’s family owns the original cast and rights to reproduce the sculpture.But “the family does not own that bull,” Blakley said.Lewis, whose family trust controls much of London’s Tottenham Hotspur soccer team, dodged prison for his insider trading conviction after claiming he may die behind bars due to his “frail” condition.

President Trump has since pardoned him.The city reportedly does not own the bull either — with a Parks Department spokesperson telling The Post the agency does not consider the statue part of its permanent public art collection and does not take responsibility for its upkeep.

The city maintained the sculpture from 1999 to 2004 with Di Modica’s permission and support from a charitable donation by J & R Music World, a massive electronics and music store located in Lower Manhattan.The “Charging Bull” has no official landmark designation, so it lacks the typical preservation protections of other statues, like the Christopher Columbus monument at Columbus Circle.The question of the bull’s ownership grew murkier after Di Modica died in 2021, with his estate’s attorney, Gaetano G.D’Antona, telling the City Reporter that he does not k...