The Mayor of London has announced that the statue will not be installed soon
Sadiq Khan's office has said that a statue of Queen Elizabeth II will not be put on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square any time soon. Since the Queen died, there have been calls for a monument to be put up on the empty plinth in the middle of London. Since 1999, the plinth has been used as a stage for modern art. It was meant to hold a statue of William IV at first, but it has been empty since the mid-1800s.
The Fourth Plinth Judged to Show New Works by Leading Artists
People think that the Fourth Plinth will keep showing new works by top artists for a long time to come. For the next four years, there will be shows at the Fourth Plinth. Antelope, the new work by Samson Kambalu, will be up until September 2024. John Chilembwe, an anti-colonialist pastor who led a revolt against British rule in what is now Malawi in 1915, is shown in Mr. Kambalu's work. Some people have said that this winning commission isn't very good because the revolt was violent and led to the beheading of a British settler. Mr. Khan said that the work would "promote conversation about the fight for freedom and equality." The project that will come after Kambalu's is being made by the artist Teresa Margolles. It shows the faces of 850 transgender people.
About every two years, a new work of art is made
The Mayor's office puts together the Fourth Plinth Commission, which narrows down a long list of sketched proposals for new works to a short list of six. The Mayor then approves the winning plan and the Great London Authority pays for it at a cost of £140,000 plus a £30,000 artist's fee. About every two years, a new piece of art is made.
After Queen Elizabeth II died, it was suggested that the plan stop. A government source said that the Fourth Plinth might get a permanent memorial to the late king or queen.
London supports the installation of a statue of the late monarch
The office of the Mayor of London said it would support a statue of the late monarch in the city, saying, "A statue of the Queen in a suitable place in London is a matter for the Royal family to consider, and of course the Greater London Authority stands ready to support them in their wishes." But from what we know, there are no plans to get rid of the Fourth Plinth project right now. It is one of the most well-known public art projects in the world, and the quality of the artworks has caused a lot of debate.
In the past few years, these have included a drone that looks like a fly and is perched on a sculpture of an ice cream cone, a golden rocking horse, and a huge blue rooster. Prue Leith, who was then the head of the Royal Society of Art and is now a judge on The Great British Bake Off, came up with the idea in 1994. At first, the empty plinth was filled with art from a small collection. The society was in charge of the project. The project was then taken over by the Greater London Authority.
Ms. Leith told that she would like the Fourth Plinth scheme to continue. She also said, "It's really important that the modern art stays in the square." Each sculpture has both people who like it and people who don't. Even if you don't like what's there, you know that it will be gone next year."
Jean Dubreil