Past works on the Fourth Plinth

One & Other

Taking place on the Fourth Plinth from 6 July until 9am on 14 October 2009 was Antony Gormley's One & Other, an astonishing living monument in which every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break, different people occupied the plinth. He asked the people of the UK to occupy the empty Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, a space normally reserved for statues of kings and generals, in an image of themselves, and a representation of the whole of humanity.

'What artwork has ever given 2,400 ordinary people the chance to become art itself?' (Alex Needham, The Guardian)

Read more about Antony Gormley and 'One & Other.

Model for a Hotel

Thomas Schütte’s sculpture Model for a Hotel was on the plinth from November 2007 until the end of May 2009.

Model for a Hotel is an architectural model constructed in specially engineered red, yellow and blue glass and weighing over 8 tonnes. It is composed of three blocks: a building with 21 storeys, a big lobby, and a horizontal block of 8 storeys, extending over the edge of the plinth. It is constructed in several parts attached to each other, reaching a total height of 5 metres - about the same size as the plinth. From each side, a different shape and a different context or background is revealed.

'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)

Read more about Thomas Schütte and Model for a Hotel.

Alison Lapper Pregnant

Marc Quinn's sculpture Alison Lapper Pregnant was in place in the square from September 2005 until October 2007.

This was the first new commission for the Fourth Plinth under the auspices of the Mayor of London’s Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group and it was tremendously successful, capturing the public interest as well as global media attention.

Read more about Marc Quinn and Alison Lapper Pregnant.

The RSA project

Before responsiblity for Trafalgar Square was transferred to the Mayor and the Greater London Authority, in 1999, the RSA initiated a programme of new commissions for the Fourth Plinth. Sculptures by Mark Wallinger, Bill Woodrow and Rachel Whiteread were commissioned and displayed in the square. Read more about the RSA project.