B3’s Golden Bull goes to depot and there are no plans for a new exhibition

B3, the Brazilian Stock Exchange, informed this Wednesday (24) that it took the sculpture Touro de Ouro to a warehouse where it keeps its collection and that there are no immediate plans for a new exhibition. The statue was removed by B3 on Tuesday night (23). The piece was installed on 15 de Novembro Street, in the central region of the city of São Paulo.

The removal took place hours after the CPPU (Commission for the Protection of Urban Landscape), of the Municipal Secretariat of Urbanism, concluded that the 1ton Gold Bull is an advertising piece, installed on public roads without proper authorization.

The irregularity is subject to fine, to be determined by the Subprefecture of Sé, which informed that it still awaits the CPPU process to determine the value.

Comprised of representatives of society and the municipality, the CPPU is the municipal body responsible for overseeing interventions in the urban landscape that may interfere with the Clean City Law.

The central debate dealt with the character of the work. It was necessary to define if it had a cultural nature –and, therefore, of public interest– or if it was an advertising piece. The conclusion was that the Golden Bull is, ultimately, advertising and, therefore, it had been installed without authorization from the organ.

When evaluating the installation, CPPU members criticized the fact that the statue represents one of the hallmarks of its creator, XP partner and president of financial education company Vai Tourinho, Pablo Spyer. The businessman is also known for presenting the program Minuto Touro de Ouro, at Jovem Pan.

Wanted, Spyer and XP did not comment.

Other members of the council highlighted, however, that the work attracted the public to the central region, benefiting trade, which had been greatly harmed due to the restrictions created by the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The debate divided the commission, with five representatives voting to withdraw the bull, and four members taking a stand in favor of the permanence.

The Golden Bull has fueled controversy and attracted protests since the opening of the exhibition on 16 October.

At the launch, B3 explained that the sculpture was inspired by the bronze statue of Taurus on Wall Street, in New York, in the United States. The allusion to the American bull is also part of the request process for the installation of the piece on the sidewalk of the Stock Exchange, as informed by the CPPU at the meeting this Tuesday.

The author of the bull, the architect Rafael Brancatelli, claims, however, that his bull is not a copy of the American one and that even its constitution is different. The Brazilian bull is coated with fiberglass, has automotive paint and its interior has a metal frame filled with high-density EPS (Styrofoam).

The day after the release, the bull woke up with graffiti. Social movements put up a poster with the word hunger. In the days that followed, it displayed the message “taxing the rich” and the organization SP Invisível held a barbecue with homeless people in front of the statue.

Contract between B3 and the architect, which appears in the Register of Technical Responsibility, published on the website of CAU-BR (Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil), details that the piece cost R$ 350 thousand. Brancatelli and B3 did not confirm the value.

The commission mentioned during the meeting that the fine could be applied to the technical person responsible for the work, in this case, the company Dmaisb Arquitetura e Construção, from Brancatelli. The Sé Subprefecture, however, has not yet informed who will receive the punishment.

At the CPPU hearing, Brancatelli argued that he had authorization from the Sé Subprefecture and the Department of Historical Heritage of the Municipal Department of Culture. Brancatelli’s statements were confirmed by Organs aforementioned bodies and by orders published in the Official Gazette of the City of São Paulo.

At the time, Brancatelli apologized to the commission. wanted by sheet, he declined to comment on the CPPU decision.

During the meeting broadcast over the internet, however, CPPU members warned that the authorizations made the release conditional on the approval of the commission that oversees advertising, within the criteria of the Clean City Law, and that this stage had not been fulfilled.

Established 15 years ago during the administration of Gilberto Kassab (2006-2012, PSD), the Clean City Law regulated advertising on the streets of São Paulo.

Billboards and paintings on facades that advertised companies and products are now banned, and signs and advertisements identifying activities carried out in buildings and stores have strict size standards.

In 2018, the city hall amended the law to allow the installation of LED panels inside establishments that could be seen through windows facing the street.

“The Clean City Law regulates how anything that interferes in public space can be installed”, says urban planner and public administrator Camila Maleronka. Among what has been typified is advertising.

The urban planner says that, as this is an area with several historic buildings, any intervention must, according to the law, have an impact analysis on the landscape.

Daniela Arcanjo collaborated