A striking new sculpture has officially taken its place on London's historic Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. Titled Lady in Blue, the eye-catching artwork is designed to celebrate the spirit of the modern, everyday Londoner, offering a stark contrast to the traditional military and royal monuments surrounding it.
Created by celebrated New York artist Tschabalala Self, the sculpture will remain on display for the next two years.
A Modern "Everywoman" in Trafalgar Square
The Lady in Blue is a bronze figure patinated with a deep blue pigment refined from Lapis Lazuli—a semi-precious stone prized by artists for thousands of years. It replaces the previous installation, Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times in an Instant) by Teresa Margolles.
Rather than commemorating a historical figure, the statue depicts a contemporary, metropolitan woman walking forward with purpose. The artist, born in New York in 1990, designed the piece to represent an "everywoman" whom average citizens and visitors can easily relate to.
"She is not an idol to venerate or a historic figurehead to commemorate," Self explained. "She is a woman walking forward into our collective future with ambition and purpose."
Why It Matters
Trafalgar Square is famous for its towering statues of military leaders, monarchs, and historic heroes. Placing an ordinary, unnamed woman at the heart of this civic space is a deliberate subversion of traditional monumentality.
According to Ekow Eshun, chair of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, the artwork successfully "transforms the everyday into the monumental." By elevating a familiar, modern figure to a historic platform, the piece invites passersby to see themselves reflected in the city’s public art.
Justine Simons, London's deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries, welcomed the installation, calling it a striking and vibrant addition to the historic square.
The Legacy of the Fourth Plinth
The Fourth Plinth, located in the northwest corner of Trafalgar Square, was originally designed in 1841 to hold an equestrian statue of King William IV. However, the project ran out of funding, leaving the stone plinth empty for over 150 years.
In 1998, the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) launched a commissioning program to fill the void with temporary, contemporary artworks. The program began in 1999 with Mark Wallinger's Ecce Homo, and a new sculpture has been rotated onto the plinth roughly every two years since.
Self’s selection was announced in March 2024 alongside artist Andra Ursuta, whose work is scheduled to debut on the plinth in 2028.
