Antony Gormley (born 1950) is an English sculptor. He is best known among the general public as the creator of Angel of the North, a large piece of public sculpture[?] just outside Gateshead[?].
Gormley studied at Trinity College, Cambridge from 1968 to 1971 before going to India and Sri Lanka to study Buddhism from 1971 to 1974. Almost all of his work takes the human body as its subject, with his own body used in many works as the basis for metal casts[?].
Gormley's sculptures lack any personal detail distinguishing them as a particular human being. Instead, the forms are smoothed out making them completely anonymous.
Angel of the North (1998) is a very large (20 metres tall, with a wingspan of 54 metres) sculpture standing by the side of the M1 motorway in Gateshead. It was the source of some controversy when first errected, but has been generally well received by the public.
Gormley won the Turner Prize in 1994.
