From the British coastline to the rooftops of Manhattan, Antony Gormley’s sculptures are recognised across the world. With work from his 45-year career alongside major new installations created for the galleries, the Royal Academy of Arts is now presenting his most ambitious exhibition in more than ten years.
Following in the footsteps of Ai Weiwei and Anselm Kiefer, Antony Gormley takes over the RA’s Main Galleries with a series of works that test the scale and light of the architecture.
Elemental
The exhibition explores Gormley’s wide-ranging use of organic, industrial and elemental materials over the years, including iron, steel, hand-beaten lead, seawater and clay. it also brings to light rarely-seen early works from the 1970s and 1980s, some of which led to Gormley using his own body as a tool to create work, as well as a selection of his pocket sketchbooks and drawings.
Throughout a series of experiential installations, some brand-new, some remade for the RA’s galleries, visitors are invited to ‘to slow down and become aware of their own bodies’. Highlights include Clearing VII, an immersive ‘drawing in space’ made from kilometres of coiled, flexible metal which visitors find their own path through, and Lost Horizon I, 24 life-size cast iron figures set at different orientations on the walls, floor and ceiling – challenging our perception of which way is up.
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Celebrated
Perhaps best-known for his 200-tonne Angel of the North installation near Gateshead, and his project involving 24,000 members of the public for Trafalgar Square’s the Fourth Plinth, Antony Gormley is one of the UK’s most celebrated sculptors.
The exhibition is curated by Martin Caiger-Smith, with Sarah Lea, Curator at the Royal Academy of Arts.
See also: Dale Chihuly Glass Sculptures Showcased at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew
If you are sensitive to enclosed spaces, one of the works may not be suitable for you to enter, and you should ask a member of staff for the best route around. Some of the works contain water, sharp edges and materials that can transfer onto clothing.
Exhibition details:
21st September — 3rd December 2019
Daily 10am – 6pm
Friday 10am – 10pm
Special Saturday late openings: open until 10pm every Saturday except 5 October and 23 November
Tickets £18 – £22. Concessions available. Become a Friend to see for free and visit at any time
Main Galleries, Burlington House
See also: British Art Fair Shows Greatest Works of the Past Century
