Antony Gormley
21 September - 3 December 2019
Main Galleries, Burlington House
Daily 10am – 6pm
Friday 10am – 10pm
Saturday 10am – 8pm (excludes 23 November)
Tickets £18 – £22. Concessions available.
Friends of the RA go free
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 our galleries, we present his most ambitious exhibition in more than ten years.
Following in the footsteps of Ai Weiwei and Anselm Kiefer, Antony Gormley will be the next artist to take over our Main Galleries with a series of works that test the scale and light of the RA’s architecture.
The exhibition will explore Gormley’s wide-ranging use of organic, industrial and elemental materials over the years, including iron, steel, hand-beaten lead, seawater and clay. We will also bring 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, we will invite visitors 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, 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.
Perhaps best-known for his 200-tonne Angel of the North installation near Gateshead, and his project involving 2,400 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.
Please note: in Clearing VII, we ask that visitors walk around the outside of the work, rather than through it. If you are sensitive to enclosed spaces, one of the works may not be suitable for you to enter, please 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. We ask that audiences do not touch the works on display to prevent damage.
Supporters
Lead Supporter
Generously supported by
Generously supported by
Lead supporter BNP Paribas
Reviews
"A symphonic storm of a show."
Simon Schama, Financial Times
"Spectacular."
Evening Standard
“Duck, weave and high step through a massive three-dimensional metal scrawl."
The Times
Antony Gormley extended hours
Due to popular demand, we have extended our opening hours to 8pm every Saturday, with the exception of 23 November – as we will be hosting our next late, RA Lates: Deep Earth.
We will also be open late on the following dates:
Sunday 24 November: 10am - 7pm
Saturday 30 November: 10am - 10pm
Sunday 1 December: 10am - 8pm
Antony Gormley is open every Friday until 10pm.
Take a look inside the exhibition
"I see this show as a really important test ground. What can sculpture do?" Enjoy a drone's eye view of our Antony Gormley exhibition in this short film, narrated by the artist himself. Films created with the support of: Veronica and Lars Bane Foundation.
Image gallery
Body and Fruit, 1991/93
Installation view, ‘Antony Gormley’, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 21 September to 3 December 2019
Lost Horizon I, 2008
Installation view, ‘Antony Gormley’, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 21 September to 3 December 2019. PinchukArtCentre, Kiev, Ukraine
HOST, 2019
Installation view, Royal Academy of Arts, London
Subject II, 2019
Installation view, ‘Antony Gormley’, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 21st September to 3rd December 2019
Slabworks series, 2019
Installation view, ‘Antony Gormley’, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 21st September to 3rd December 2019.
Cave, 2019
Installation view, ‘Antony Gormley’, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 21st September to 3rd December 2019
Clearing VII, 2019
Installation view, ‘Antony Gormley’, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 21st September to 3rd December 2019
Matrix III, 2019
Installation view, ‘Antony Gormley’, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 21st September to 3rd December 2019
Free entry for 17 – 25s: Antony Gormley
In partnership with BNP Paribas AccessArt25, we are giving 17 – 25 year olds free access to the exhibition via three specially-curated evening events on Monday 14 October, Monday 18 November and Monday 25 November.
