Revisiting the exhibition: Antony Gormley
Published on 18 November 2020
Six tonnes of steel mesh, a gallery flooded with seawater, a body you could walk through and an experience like no other. Relive our 2019 Antony Gormley exhibition with behind-the-scenes videos, inspiration from the man himself and works from the show.
A sleeping baby greeted visitors to the RA in 2019, lying on the bare flagstones and dwarfed by the surrounding Annenberg Courtyard. The vulnerability of Antony Gormley's Iron Baby struck a particularly emotional chord in this landmark exhibition, which asked you to slow down and become aware of your own body.
Highlights included 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.
How the show was made
The making of Antony Gormley’s ‘Mother's Pride’
In this film, Tim Marlow visits Antony Gormley in his studio where he and his team are working on the bread-based work Mother's Pride V.
The making of Antony Gormley’s ‘Cave’
Antony Gormley's Cave is a sculpture on an architectural scale. In this video, the artist talks to Tim Marlow about the challenges involved in creating Cave and installing it at the Royal Academy.
The making of Antony Gormley’s ‘Matrix III’
Antony Gormley's Matrix III is a "perceptual maze", a vast sculpture that was suspended from the ceiling in the Royal Academy's largest gallery. In the final episode in our three-part series, Antony Gormley talks to Tim Marlow about the ideas behind this work and how it was made.
Behind the scenes of the show
See how the exhibition was made — from poring over designs in Antony Gormley's studio, climbing on top of the Royal Academy's roof with the artist himself, and...munching through a lot of bread.
In this article the show’s co-curator, Sarah Lea, takes us behind the scenes.
This exhibition was designed to be experienced in person like no other, with sculptures standing on the ceiling, tonnes of steel mesh which hung above your head and a gallery-sized maze of coiled wire. Swoop through the entire exhibition with a drone's eye view, narrated by the artist himself in this short video.
Cave, 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
Clearing VII, 2019
Installation view, ‘Antony Gormley’, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 21st September to 3rd December 2019
Subject II, 2019
Installation view, ‘Antony Gormley’, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 21st September to 3rd December 2019
Exit through the RA Shop
In this authoritative survey — featuring photography of current works installed at the Royal Academy — Priyamvada Natarajan, Michael Newman, Jeanette Winterson OBE, Martin Caiger-Smith explore the context and impact of Antony Gormley RA's work.
This sterling silver pin has been created specially by Antony Gormley for the Royal Academy of Arts.
This diary was created specially with Antony Gormley for the Royal Academy of Arts.
Featuring 42 images of Gormley's works, the diary is undated with 2 year planners at the front, 52 double-page weekly spreads for every week of the year, as well as 12 lined, dotted and blank pages at the back for note-taking and sketching.
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