Antony Gormley

Antony Gormley, a renowned contemporary sculptor, is celebrated worldwide for his monumental public artworks. Central to his practice is a profound exploration of the human figure, manifested through sculptures that span from the figurative to the abstract. Regarded as one of Britain's foremost sculptors, Gormley continues to innovate, recently expanding his repertoire to encompass digitally-inspired projects.

Biography of Antony Gormley

Antony Gormley, born in 1950 in London to a German mother and Irish father, grew up in privilege due to his father's ownership of a pharmaceutical company involved in early penicillin production. Raised in a lavish household in Hampstead Garden Suburb, complete with staff like a chauffeur and cook, Gormley's upbringing was marked by strict Catholicism, which he has suggested influenced his later spiritual explorations in art. Reflecting on his childhood, Gormley connects the motionless, rigid figures in his mature artworks to formative memories, such as enforced afternoon rest times that induced both fear and stillness in him.

The artist's time at Ampleforth, a Benedictine boarding school in Yorkshire, further nurtured his artistic talents. Gormley excelled in carpentry and furniture making, earning art prizes and even selling paintings to his monk educators. These early successes foreshadowed his later acclaim as a prominent figure in contemporary art.

Despite his initial inclination towards art school, Antony Gormley's parents steered him towards academia, emphasizing the importance of securing a job and financial independence. He began his studies at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1968, majoring in archaeology, anthropology, and the history of art. During this time, Gormley forged friendships with influential figures in the arts, including artists Michael Craig-Martin and Barry Flannigan, as well as Nicholas Serota, who would later facilitate a significant solo exhibition for Gormley at London's Whitechapel Gallery.

Throughout his university years, Gormley continued to pursue art, funding his travels to India and Sri Lanka on the earnings from painting murals for various events. His time abroad sparked a spiritual exploration, during which he contemplated becoming a Buddhist monk while immersing himself in meditation. Ultimately, Gormley's passion for art prevailed, reinforced by the extensive drawings he produced, documenting the landscapes and cultures he encountered. His artistic potential was recognized, securing him a scholarship to attend art school upon his return.

Antony Gormley initially delved into sculpture at Saint Martin's School of Art in London, where his early figurative works were inspired by the homeless individuals he encountered in India, casting his friends' bodies beneath blankets to capture their form. Reflecting on this period, Gormley asserts, "There's no question that they carry in seed everything that has happened since," highlighting its profound impact on his artistic evolution.

Transitioning to Goldsmiths University, Gormley recalls a transformative experience marked by both challenges and inspiration. He acknowledges the uncertainty he faced upon entering art school, remarking, "I realized when I got to art school that I didn't have a clue what I was doing." Despite this, he found immense value in the environment, emphasizing that learning from peers is crucial for artists. After graduating from Goldsmiths, Gormley furthered his studies at the Slade School of Fine Art, where he met his future wife, the painter Vicken Parsons.

The artist's breakthrough work came in 1981 with "Bed" (1980-81), a piece where he stacked 8,640 slices of bread to the size of a double bed and hollowed out a section to fit the proportions of his own body. This innovative piece caught the attention of Nicholas Serota, then director of the Whitechapel Gallery, who showcased "Bed" in a joint exhibition with British sculptor Tony Cragg.

Following this success, Gormley shifted his focus to creating figurative sculptures primarily in lead, a material he later abandoned upon discovering its toxic effects. During this period, he began producing body castings, using his own form as a symbolic representation of humanity, particularly when multiplied, as evident in works like "Three Ways" and "Land, Sea and Air II" (1982).

The artist's wife, Vicken Parsons, played a crucial role as his primary studio assistant, enduring the demanding process of covering his entire body with plastic wrap and plaster. Reflecting on her unwavering support, Gormley remarked, "Right through those early days when it wasn't looking as if it was going to work out - my God, you know, we had three children... [and] Vicken quietly accepted whatever came along... did all the molding, did the lion's share of the child-rearing and never stopped working herself."

Despite the initial success of his exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, Antony Gormley continued to face financial challenges, working from a modest studio in Peckham and relying on teaching positions at various art schools to support his growing family with his wife, Vicken Parsons. The costly process of producing body casts added to these financial strains. Out of this period of struggle emerged one of his most acclaimed and beloved works, "Field" (1989-2003), which involved sculpting clay and engaging others in the creative process, offering a more sustainable and inclusive approach.

In 1993, Gormley's career took a pivotal turn when art dealer Jay Jopling signed him to his commercial White Cube Gallery, providing much-needed financial stability. Throughout the 1990s, Gormley received numerous commissions for public artworks that explored the relationship between human figures and their natural surroundings. These installations often featured dispersed groups of figures, harmoniously placed to provoke contemplation on humanity's interaction with the environment. While critics drew parallels between Gormley's work and that of land artists like Robert Smithson and Walter De Maria, Gormley's unique ability to integrate internal and external spaces surrounding the human body distinguished him within the art world.

In recognition of his contributions to British sculpture, Gormley was awarded the Turner Prize in 1994 for his ongoing "Field" series. Three years later, he received an OBE for his services to art, solidifying his status as a leading figure in contemporary sculpture. Following this, the artist was commissioned to create "The Angel of the North," a monumental sculpture begun in 1994 and completed four years later. Situated on the site of a former colliery, it has become one of Britain's largest and most iconic public artworks, symbolizing stability and endurance.

Now with his three children grown and pursuing careers in the arts, Gormley operates multiple large, factory-style studios in England. These include one near Kings Cross in north London, designed by architect David Chipperfield, and another in Hexham, Northumberland. These studios employ several assistants who help manage the influx of commissions and exhibitions Gormley regularly receives.

Moving away from the physical process of making art has allowed him to focus more on the conceptual aspects of his practice. He describes this shift, saying, "I used to go to bed exhausted from beating lead and mixing plaster. Now that extreme physical exertion of making sculpture is shared with my assistants; perhaps that allows me to see the work more ruthlessly." Gormley finds that this detachment enables him to evaluate his work objectively, which he considers a privilege, surrounded by a team of ambitious, sensitive, and intelligent collaborators.

While both Antony Gormley and his wife, Vicken Parsons, continue to pursue their distinct artistic practices, Gormley acknowledges the profound influence she has had on his career. He describes her as his "lover, muse, assistant," emphasizing, "I couldn't have done what I have done without Vicken's help. She is the maker of my life, really."

The Art Style of Antony Gormley

In his earlier works, Antony Gormley used his own body both as inspiration and tool, shaping indentations and replicas of his form. While he has since moved away from physically crafting his pieces, he continues to incorporate casts or models derived from his own body in many of his artworks. This dual presence of his form as both singular and universal — an embodiment of both himself and an archetype of humanity at large — is underscored by his belief that "the instrument is particular, the ambition universal."

Several of Gormley's most notable works, such as his Turner Prize-winning piece Field (1991), involve extensive collaboration, where communities participate in creating components directed by the artist. Other artworks, like Allotment (1995) and Domain Field (2003), feature elements informed by casts or measurements taken from volunteers' bodies. This collaborative process results in artworks that initially appear as a cohesive mass of humanity but reveal distinct individuality upon closer examination.

Gormley's figures are characterized by neutral poses, simplicity, repetition, and a lack of facial features. This intentional abstraction denies viewers traditional emotional cues from expressions or posture, making it challenging to impose direct narratives onto his works. The figures exist quietly within their environments, evoking an uncanny feeling — they are unmistakably human from a distance, yet their humanity diminishes upon closer inspection. Similarly, their integration into landscapes populates the space without conveying sentience, eliciting an unsettling response akin to the sublime, a concept prominent in Romanticism and particularly associated with the works of Caspar David Friedrich.

Antony Gormley's recent artistic endeavors have embraced ephemeral forms, moving towards delicate sculptures crafted from intricate wire tangles or geometric blocks that interlock like puzzles. Embracing technological advancements, he ventured into virtual reality in early 2019 through a collaboration with astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan and Acute Art to create "Lunatick" (2019). This VR experience allows participants to soar over the moon's surface, merging art and technology in an immersive exploration.