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Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth has been home to many an eye-catching installation. There was the huge ship in a bottle in 2010, a big blue cockerel in 2013, an unsettling horse skeleton in 2015 and that swirl of whipped cream topped with a cherry, a fly and a drone in 2020.
Right now, the plinth is occupied by Teresa Margolles’s ‘Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times in an Instant)’, a poignant homage to the existence of trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people. But soon, it’ll be time for a new artwork.
‘Lady in Blue’ by New York-based artist Tschabalala Self will officially take over the Fourth Plinth in September (sorry, we don’t know the exact date yet).
The 10ft sculpture depicts a confident woman of colour striding in a blue dress and heels and is meant to represent a contemporary everywoman that ‘many can relate to’. She’s made from bronze and patinated with a rare pigment called ‘lapis lazuli blue’.
Self said of her piece: ‘She is not an idol to venerate or a historic figurehead to commemorate. She is a woman striding forward into our collective future with ambition and purpose. She is a Londoner who represents the city’s spirit.’
Selected back in 2024 by the Fourth Plinth commissioning group (which includes artist Jeremy Deller and former broadcaster Jon Snow), it’ll be the sixteenth sculpture to be displayed on the plinth since the scheme started in 1999. Several celebrated artists and sculptors have had pieces atop the monument, including David Shrigley, Antony Gormley and Rachel Whiteread.
Justine Simons deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries, said: ‘The Fourth Plinth is the world’s most renowned sculpture commission. Self’s ‘Lady in Blue’ will inspire Londoners, tourists and art lovers alike, bringing a bold, contemporary presence to this historic space.’
The Lady will remain in place for 18 months before passing the baton on to a spectral green horseman made of resin by Andra Ursuţa in 2028.
Did you see that this treasured west London gallery is reopening this month?
Plus: Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall has announced its next major new artwork for autumn 2026.
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