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Mayor of London

Lottery Funded - Arts Council England

What is on the Fourth Plinth?

Model for a Hotel, Nelson's Column in background, photo by James O JenkinsFrom 1841 until 1999 there was nothing on the Fourth Plinth in the north-west of Trafalgar Square, and it was sometimes referred to as the 'empty plinth'. It is now the location for contemporary art works, commissioned specially from leading artists, which are housed on the plinth for a year or two each. The choice of works is led by the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group.

Thomas Schütte’s sculpture Model for a Hotel 2007, unveiled in November 2007, is currently on the Fourth Plinth. It is built of specially engineered glass in yellow, red and blue which collects the light, reflecting it through the edges. Read more about Model for a Hotel 2007.

'This is only the second commission since the Mayor took over responsibility for the plinth, but already the rolling programme is starting to feel like something that people can look forward to as they do the installations in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern.'
Rachel Cook, Observer, 4 November 2007

Future proposals

Two artists have been chosen for the next Fourth Plinth commission from a shortlist of six - find out about the artists and their proposed works.