Originally intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV, the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in central London has become the home of rotating contemporary sculptures. These commissions have become some of the most famous public art prices in the world, showcasing what it can mean when squares and other areas of historic significance actively engage a contemporary community.
The Plinths and Monuments of Trafalgar Square
What is now known as Trafalgar Square has a history that stretches back to the 13th century but was opened to the public under this name in 1844. The name commemorates Horatio Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. Nelson’s Column dominates the space, which features a statue of Nelson atop a column that is well over 150 feet tall.
There is a plinth at each of the four corners of the square, with two having the space for especially large statues, and two being a bit smaller. The two smaller southern plinths feature sculptures of Henry Havelock and Charles James Napier. Designed to have equestrian statues, the northern plinths have more space, which a statue of George IV in the northeast corner showcases. The fourth plinth on the northwest corner was intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV but that piece was never completed due to insufficient funds.
After remaining empty for decades, things changed in 1994 when Prue Leith, then chair of the Royal Society of Arts, wrote a letter to the Evening Standard suggesting that something should be done about the empty plinth. This sparked a flurry of public debate that would see the installation of ‘Ecce Homo’ by Mark Wallinger in 1999. Since then, this previously empty plinth has featured temporary works of contemporary art. These installations have enabled a totally different connection to London for visitors and the surrounding community.
The Fourth Plinth Commission
The Fourth Plinth initiative was initiated by the Royal Society of Arts and continued by the Fourth Plinth Commission, appointed by the Mayor of London. Since it was started, the Mayor of London’s Fourth Plinth program has invited leading artists to make sculptures for the plinth. Past commissions include ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’, ‘Powerless Structures, Fig. 101’ and ‘Hahn/Cock’, all of which highlight different subjects and utilize distinct materials. The most recent pieces have spoken to issues that are especially noteworthy for contemporary audiences.
A bronze sculpture called “Really Good” resided on the Fourth Plinth from 2016-2018. It depicted a human hand in a thumbs-up gesture, with the thumb greatly elongated. To the top of the thumb, the sculpture is 7 meters (23 ft) tall. From 2018-2020 the Fourth Plinth housed, “The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist” which is a recreation of a sculpture of a protective deity that stood at the entrance to Nergal Gate of Nineveh which was destroyed in the modern era. The piece is made of empty Iraqi date syrup cans, representing the destruction of Iraq’s date industry.
The Fourth Plinth Schools Awards create another means of engagement for the community. These awards provide a chance for schools to get creative and produce a work of art inspired by the contemporary art commissions for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth. This connection with contemporary artists, audiences and the community has connected each in a way that the other monuments in Trafalgar Square have not. Critically, they’ve also done so in a way a statue of William IV never could.
Trafalgar Square has been host to numerous publicity stunts and protests, providing further exposure for the sculptures and monuments on the Fourth Plinth. It continues to serve as a hub for the city and attraction that pulls in audiences for all sorts of reasons, the least of which being its proximity to The National Gallery. In doing so, the Fourth Plinth initiative has come to serve as an incredible example of what it can mean for a city to use this kind of regular activity to showcase contemporary works of public art and create opportunities for both artists and engagement with the wider community.
The Fourth Plinth and Beyond
Many of the Fourth Plinth commissions move elsewhere after they leave the Trafalgar Square. ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’ now has a permanent home at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, while ‘Powerless Structures, Fig 101’ was acquired by the Arken Museum of Modern Art in Denmark. Seeing such pieces enable activity and engagement when they’re located in Trafalgar Square while also having a life beyond that time period has established an incredible model for public art commissions. Fourth Plinth commissions have proven how such pieces can make an impact on the present and future of multiple individuals, organizations and communities.
