This September, London’s Fourth Plinth will welcome a striking new figure: Lady in Blue by New York-based artist Tschabalala Self. Following Teresa Margolles’ Mil Veces un Instante, Self’s sculpture celebrates a young, metropolitan woman of colour—a contemporary everywoman reflecting the city’s diversity.
Cast in bronze and patinated in the luminous Lapis Lazuli blue, the work brings both history and modernity to the heart of Trafalgar Square. It is bold, confident, and unapologetically of its moment.
Selected in March 2024 by the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, chaired by Ekow Eshun OBE, Self joins a roster of internationally renowned artists whose work has transformed the Plinth since Mark Wallinger’s Ecce Homo in 1999. Public input on shortlisted proposals helped shape the final decision.
Tschabalala Self says, “Lady in Blue is not an idol or a historic figure. She strides forward with purpose, ambition, and confidence. She is a Londoner, and London has shaped so many milestones in my practice—from my first institutional show to my earliest major painting series. This city is the perfect home for her.”
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, adds: “The Fourth Plinth is the world’s most renowned sculpture commission. Self’s Lady in Blue will inspire Londoners, tourists, and art lovers alike, bringing a bold, contemporary presence to this historic space.”
Tschabalala Self works across painting, printmaking, and sculpture, focusing on the human figure—particularly women—through sewn, printed, and painted materials. Born in New York in 1990, she continues to live and work there.
The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is one of the most significant art commissions worldwide, presenting new work by internationally renowned artists at the heart of London. 15 works have been displayed on the iconic site since the unveiling of Ecce Homo by Mark Wallinger in 1999.
Tschabalala Self is an artist working across painting, printmaking and sculpture. Her practice explores representations of the human figure, with a particular focus on women, using sewn, printed, and painted materials. Born in New York in 1990, she lives and works there.
The Mayor of London funds the Fourth Plinth with support from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The Fourth Plinth was initiated by the RSA in 1998 and is now one of the most essential art commissions in the world. The programme invites world-class artists to make new work for Trafalgar Square, with a new sculpture installed on the Fourth Plinth every two years. The independent Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group makes the final decision on the shortlist and the works displayed.
It is funded by the Mayor of London, with support from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies; the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group is entirely independent. An established part of London’s public landscape, it brings out the art critic in everyone.
The Fourth Plinth is funded by the Mayor of London, with support from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group
Iwona Blazwick – Independent Curator and Curator Emerita, Whitechapel Gallery
Mick Brundle – Principal, Arup Associates
Jeremy Deller – Artist
Ekow Eshun OBE – Writer, Broadcaster (Chair)
Priyesh Mistry – Associate Curator, Modern and Contemporary Projects, The National Gallery
Eleanor Pinfield – Director, Art on the Underground
Justine Simons OBE – Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries
Matthew Slotover – Publisher and Co-founder of Frieze
Jon Snow – Broadcaster
Sabine Unamun – Director, Visual Arts and Museums, London, Arts Council England
Past Fourth Plinth Commissions
1999: Ecce Homo by Mark Wallinger
2000: Regardless of History by Bill Woodrow
2001: Monument by Dame Rachel Whiteread
2005: Alison Lapper Pregnant by Marc Quinn
2007: Model for a Hotel by Thomas Schuette
2009: One & Other by Sir Antony Gormley OBE
2010: Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle by Yinka Shonibare CBE
2012: Powerless Structures, Fig 101 by Elmgreen & Dragset
2013: Hahn/Cock by Katharina Fritsch
2015: Gift Horse by Hans Haacke
2016: Really Good by David Shrigley OBE
2018: The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist by Michael Rakowitz
2020: THE END by Heather Phillipson
2022: Antelope by Samson Kambalu
2024: Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times in an Instant) by Teresa Margolles