Anthony Gormley - Definition and Overview

Angel of the North

Antony Gormley (born 1950) is an English sculptor. He is best known among the general public as the creator of Angel of the North, a controversial piece of public sculpture just in Gateshead.

Gormley studied at Ampleforth College. He also studied at Trinity College, Cambridge from 1968 to 1971 before going to India and Sri Lanka to study Buddhism from 1971 to 1974. Almost all of his work takes the human body as its subject, with his own body used in many works as the basis for metal casts.

Gormley's sculptures lack any personal detail distinguishing them as a particular human being. Instead, the forms are smoothed out making them completely anonymous.

Gormley won the Turner Prize in 1994.

Works

• Field.
• Sound II (1986) in the crypt of Winchester Cathedral.
• Iron:Man (1993) Victoria Square, Birmingham.
• Angel of the North (1998) is a very large (20 metres tall, with a wingspan of 54 metres) sculpture standing by the side of the A1 road in Gateshead. It was the source of some controversy when first erected, but has been generally well received by the public.

External links

• Official home page (http://www.antonygormley.com/)
• An interview with Gormley by Edward Lucie Smith in RealMedia format (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/audiointerviews/profilepages/gormleya1.shtml)
• An interview conducted by F. David Peat (http://www.fdavidpeat.com/interviews/gormley.htm)
• Gateshead Council's page on Angel of the North (http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/angel/)
• Gormley's page at the Tate Gallery (http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?id=1304&group=general&name=)
• 'Antony Gormley: the abortive rebirth of the slaves' (http://d-sites.net/english/gormley.htm)