The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square was built in 1851 but remained empty until 1998 when a rolling programme of commissions began to fill it with artwork. This exhibition displayed models of the six shortlisted pieces by top artists.
The shortlist included six well-known artists, all of whom live and work in London:
- Jeremy Deller
- Tracey Emin RA
- Antony Gormley
- Anish Kapoor CBE
- Yinka Shonibare MBE
- Bob & Roberta Smith
Visitors were invited to share their comments at the exhibition and to post their views on a dedicated website.
The selected piece will replace Thomas Schütte’s ‘Model for a Hotel’, which was unveiled in November 2007. So far, five pieces have been added to the plinth, including Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger’s ‘Ecce Homo’ and Marc Quinn’s ‘Alison Lapper Pregnant’.
The Fourth Plinth Programme is led by the Mayor of London’s Office. The scheme to select works was first run in 1998 by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).