Angel of The North statue, North of England icon to ship building. Sculptor, Antony Gormley, known locally, Rusty Rita, A1, Newcastle, Gateshead, view
Steel statue Start Date: 09 January 1995 | Completion Date: 15 February 1995 The Angel of the North is one of Britain's most famous works of public modern art. The 20m high, 53m wide sculpture stands tall on a hilltop, greeting visitors as they enter Gateshead by road and by rail. Its sculptor, Antony Gormley, wanted to use heavy industrial and shipbuilding techniques to create a material image of a spiritual subject. Arup provided structural engineering and aided in the construction to help realise this vision. The design for the statue's 20m deep foundation played an important part in securing the statue upright. 700 tonnes of concrete, 32 tonnes of reinforcing steel, 52 bolts - each 50mm in diameter and 3m long - hold the angel in place. To ensure the shape of the body was an exact enlargement of the sculptor's model, a 3-D computer model was developed which passed directions directly to the cutting machine to produce the pieces of plate from which the Angel was made. Officially unveiled in 1998, The Angel has since been voted one of the first 12 official Icons of England in a government sponsored ''Culture Online'' project. Other 'icons' inlcude Stonehenge, Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII and the Empire Windrush. The Angel has since been voted one of the first 12 official Icons of England in a government sponsored ''Culture Online'' project. Other 'icons' inlcude Stonehenge, Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII and the Empire Windrush.
Size: 5400px × 3607px
Photo credit: © Steve Welsh / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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