The Fourth Plinth was originally intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV, but remained bare due to insufficient funds. For over 150 years the fate of the plinth was debated; in 1999, a sequence of three contemporary artworks to be displayed on the plinth were announced. The success of this initiative led to a commission being formed to decide on a use for the plinth. Eventually that commission unanimously decided to continue using it for the temporary display of artworks.
There is a plinth at each of the four corners of Trafalgar square. The two southern plinths carry sculptures of Henry Havelock and Charles James Napier. The northern plinths are larger than those as they were designed to have equestrian statues, and indeed the northeastern plinth has one of George IV. The fourth plinth on the northwest corner, designed by Sir Charles Barry and built in 1841, was intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV, but remained empty due to insufficient funds.
Under the Royal Society of Arts (1998 - 2001) and under the stewardship of the Fourth Plinth Commission (2005 - present), the following artworks have been commissioned:
1999 - Ecce Homo by Mark Wallinger
2000 - Regardless of History by Bill Woodrow
2001 - Monument by Rachel Whiteread
2005 - Alison Lapper Pregnant by Marc Quinn
2007 - Model for a Hotel by Thomas Schütte
2009 - One & Other by Antony Gormley
2010 - Nelson's Ship in a Bottle by Yinka Shonibare
2012 - Powerless Structures, Fig.101 by Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset
2013 - Hahn/Cock by Katharina Fritsch
2015 - Gift Horse by Hans Haacke
2016 - Really Good by David Shrigley
2018 - The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist by Michael Rakowitz
2020 - The End by Heather Phillipson
2022 - Antelope by Samson Kambalu
Katharina Fritsch's artwork 'Hahn/Cock', shown on our pictures, is a 4.72 metres (15.5 ft) high blue fibreglass sculpture of a cockerel, intended to symbolise "regeneration, awakening and strength". The statue was unveiled on 25 July 2013 and has been on display for 18 months.
Source Wikipedia (
visit link)