View source for Angel of the North

{{good article}}
{{short description|Sculpture by Antony Gormley in northern England}}
{{about|the sculpture|the Finnish film|Angel of the North (film){{!}}''Angel of the North'' (film)}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox building
| name                = ''Angel of the North''
| image               = [[File:Angel of the North 2010.jpg|280px]]<br />[[File:Angel of the North - 6150534524.jpg|280px]]
| image_size          = 280px
| alt                 = Above: The Angel of the North, with people at its feet. Below: Rear view with the surrounding landscape of fields in the background.
| caption             = Above: Front view. <br /> Below: Rear view within the surrounding landscape.
| map_type            = United Kingdom Tyne and Wear
| start_date          = 1994
| completion_date     = 15 February 1998
| building_type       = Artwork
| location            = [[Lamesley]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead|Gateshead]], {{postcode|NE|9}}
| architectural_style =
| structural_system   =
| cost                = {{GBP|800,000|long=no|1998|round=-4|about=yes}}
| ren_cost            =
| coordinates         = {{coord|54.9141|-1.5895|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| height              = {{convert|20|m|ft|1}}
| other_dimensions    = {{ubl|{{convert|54|m|ft|0}} wing span|{{convert|6.2|m|ft}} wing height at shoulder}}
| weight              = 208{{nbsp}}tonnes
| altitude            = {{convert|75|m|ft|1}}
| material            = [[Weathering steel]]
| architect           = [[Antony Gormley]]
| structural_engineer = [[Arup Group|Ove Arup & Partners]]
| main_contractor     = Hartlepool Steel Fabrications
| developer           =
| owner               =
| management          =
}}

The '''''Angel of the North''''' is a contemporary sculpture by [[Antony Gormley]], located in [[Gateshead]], [[Tyne and Wear]], England. Completed in 1998, it is seen by an estimated 33 million people every year due to its proximity to the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] and [[A167 road|A167]] roads and the [[East Coast Main Line]]. The design of the Angel, like many of Gormley's works, is based on Gormley's own body. The [[Cor-Ten|COR-TEN weathering steel]] material gives the sculpture its distinctive rusty, oxidised colour. It stands {{convert|20|m}} tall with a wingspan of {{convert|54|m}}. The vertical ribs on its body and wings act as an external skeleton which direct oncoming wind to the sculpture's foundations, allowing it to withstand wind speeds of over {{convert|100|mph|km/h}}.

The sculpture was commissioned and delivered by [[Gateshead Council]] who approached Gormley to be the sculptor. Although initially reluctant, Gormley agreed to undertake the project after visiting and being inspired by the Angel's proposed site, a former [[colliery]] overlooking the varied [[topography]] of the Tyne and Wear Lowlands [[National Character Area]].

Hartlepool Steel Fabrications were responsible for the manufacture and assembly of the 208-tonne sculpture. On 14 February 1998, the Angel was transported overnight to the installation site and erected the next morning. The project faced opposition during its design and construction, but is now widely recognised as an iconic example of public art and a symbol of Gateshead and the wider [[North East England|North East region]].

==History==

[[File:Antony Gormley 'Brick Man' maquette - 2025-01-23 - Andy Mabbett - 01.jpg|thumb|upright|Maquette (1986) for Antony Gormley's proposed ''[[Brick Man]]'' sculpture, at [[Leeds City Art Gallery]]. The work would have been around {{convert|120|ft|m}} tall. ]]

Prior to the construction of the ''Angel of the North'', Gormley had been in discussion about the creation of a brick sculpture, ''[[Brick Man]]'', in Leeds. It would have been around {{convert|120|ft|m}} tall. The project never came to fruition, although a human-sized maquette (1986) is in [[Leeds City Art Gallery]].<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |title=A missed opportunity? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/articles/2009/05/01/history_brickman_feature.shtml |website=BBC News |accessdate=26 January 2025 }}</ref> At that time, the most significant landmarks that signalled travellers' arrival into [[Tyneside]], when travelling from the south, were the bridges that crossed the [[River Tyne]].{{sfn|Nicholson|2018|p=352}} In 1990, [[Gateshead Council]] first conceived of a sculpture to act as a new landmark for the southern approach into Gateshead and Tyneside, standing near the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] and [[A167 road|A167]] road interchange.{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=21}} Mike White, the Assistant Director Arts at Gateshead Council from 1989 to 2000, stated that the intention was for the ''Angel of the North'' to act as a "millennial image that would be a marker and guardian for our town".{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=21}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Mike White: archives |url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/zgavy5z9 |website=[[Wellcome Collection]] |access-date=2 April 2022}}</ref> The process to commission and deliver a sculpture was led by Gateshead Council's Art in Public Places panel, the Libraries & Arts and Planning & Engineering Departments, and [[Northern Arts]] – a regional subdivision of the [[Arts Council of Great Britain]] which existed from 1990 to 2002.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|pp=7-8}} The Council applied for £45,000 of funding from Northern Arts for the selection of an artist and the delivery of an initial design. Although this was the largest public art project the Council had planned to date, Gateshead had already undergone multiple regeneration projects. In the 1980s the construction of [[Gateshead International Stadium]] and the [[MetroCentre (shopping centre)|MetroCentre]] signalled a step forward in urban regeneration, and in 1990 the [[Gateshead Garden Festival|Gateshead National Garden Festival]] and Riverside Sculpture Park marked the borough's emerging arts policy.{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=21}} The 1990s also saw the conception of other regional transformation projects including the [[Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art]] and [[Gateshead Millennium Bridge]].{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=9}}

[[File:Gateshead Garden Festival view from staithes 1.jpg|alt=Gateshead Garden Festival was held in 1990 and signalled an emerging arts policy in the borough. Tents, flags and crowds are visible.|left|thumb|Gateshead Garden Festival was held in 1990 and signalled an emerging arts policy in the borough.]]

The Council's Art in Public Places Panel met three times to decide upon a shortlist of artists to build the new sculpture. They were inspired by Antony Gormley's series of structures called ''The Case for an Angel'' which he began creating in 1989.{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=21}}{{sfn|Nicholson|2018|p=352}} After two years of looking for a suitable candidate, Gormley was ultimately selected. After originally claiming that he did not "do roundabout art", Gormley was inspired after visiting the proposed site of the sculpture, comparing it to a "[[megalithic]] burial chamber".{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|pp=7-8}}{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=28}} 43-year-old Gormley was commissioned by August 1994. The intention was to have the structure built by 1996, the Year of Visual Arts.<ref>''Newcastle Journal'' Thursday 18 August 1994, page 29</ref> Gateshead Council had plans for six more huge statues. The structure was to cost £500,000.<ref>''Gateshead Post'' Thursday 22 December 1994, page 1</ref>

Gateshead planning committee voted 15-5 to let the sculpture be built on Wednesday 4 January 1995, under chairman Pat Conaty, and the council engineer Roger Turner. The choice of an angel figure came from Conaty, not Gormley. The Lib Dems (Peter Maughan) deeply opposed the planning application, saying 'we must not endorse this application'. The only Conservative on the council (Martin Callanan) said it would be 'ugly and intrusive'. The planning application, at Eighton Lodge, would need approval of the full council at the next meeting.<ref>''Gateshead Post'' Thursday 5 January 1995, page1</ref> At Gateshead Civic Centre, the council voted 41-14 to approve the scheme.<ref>''Gateshead Post'' Thursday 9 February 1995, page 6</ref>

Gateshead Council acquired funding of £800,000. £584,000 came from the [[Arts Council England]], £150,000 from the [[European Regional Development Fund]], £45,000 from [[Regional arts board|Northern Arts]], plus private sponsorship.<ref name="angel-funding">{{cite web |date=15 February 2018 |title=Angel of the North celebrates 20th birthday |publisher=Gateshead Council |url=https://www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/7057/Angel-of-the-North-celebrates-20th-birthday |url-status=dead |access-date=10 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711112942/https://www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/7057/Angel-of-the-North-celebrates-20th-birthday |archive-date=11 July 2019}}</ref> Momentum for the sculpture continued into 1996, when a 1:20 [[maquette]] of the Angel went on display in Shipley Gallery, and Northern Arts won the Festival for UK Visual Arts Year. A two-year series of educational events were conducted with 30 schools and 1,400 children in the area who built their own small-scale versions of the Angel which later went on display in venues around Gateshead and in [[Sunderland]].{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=22}}

== Description ==
=== Design ===
[[File:Angel Of The North head and torso.jpg|alt=Vertical parallel ribs run from the head of the Angel of the North down the rest of its body.|left|thumb|Vertical parallel ribs run from the head of the Angel of the North down the rest of its body.]]
The Angel, like much of Gormley's other work, is based on a cast of his own body.<ref>{{cite web |title=Antony Gormley - Biography, Art, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antony-Gormley |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=23 September 2021}}</ref> The steel sculpture is 208 tonnes, {{convert|20|m}} tall, with wings measuring {{convert|54|m}} across.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=The history of the Angel of the North |url=https://www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/5303/The-history-of-the-Angel-of-the-North |access-date=24 November 2011 |publisher=Gateshead Council}}</ref>{{sfn|Nicholson|2018|p=352}} Its sheer size and dominance over the surrounding landscape allows for an artistic impact on a large audience.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=14}} Its wingspan is often compared to that of a [[Boeing 757]] jet, which is actually smaller.<ref name=":0" /> The wings are {{convert|6.2|m|ft}} high at the point where they join the body.<ref name=factsheet >{{cite web |title=Angel of the North fact sheet |url=https://www.gateshead.gov.uk/media/4168/Angel-factsheet/pdf/Angel_factsheet.pdf |publisher=Gateshead Council |access-date=4 April 2022}}</ref> It is defined by a rusty, oxidised colour which comes from the [[Weathering steel|COR-TEN weathering steel]] material which, despite being distinctive, does not contrast harshly with the nearby environment.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|pp=7, 41}} Inspired by this colour, Gormley had originally intended to call the sculpture ''The Iron Angel of the North''.{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=28}} The wings are angled 3.5 degrees forward to create, according to Gormley, "a sense of embrace".<ref name="Archive">{{cite web |title=The Angel of the North |url=http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/attractions/Angel/Background/Background2.aspx |url-status=dead |quote=Gormley said of the ''Angel'': '...The effect of the piece is in the alertness, the awareness of space and the gesture of the wings – they are not flat, they're about 3.5 degrees forward and give a sense of embrace.' |publisher=Gateshead Council |access-date=9 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070329022334/http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/Angel/Background2.aspx |archive-date=29 March 2007}}</ref> They are regular and symmetrical in shape, which contrast with the asymmetrical body.{{sfn|Nicholson|2018|p=353}}

The Angel, which weighs 208{{nbsp}}tonnes,<ref name=factsheet /> stands on top of a {{convert|5.3|m|ft|adj=on}} base, which itself rests on a concrete slab {{convert|150|cm|in}} thick covering {{convert|100|m2|sqft}}.{{sfn|Nicholson|2018|p=353}}
Due to its exposed location, Gateshead Council's engineering director sought advice from [[Ove Arup & Partners]] on how the sculpture could be built to withstand winds of over {{convert|100|mph|km/h}}.{{sfn|Newton|Mills|1999|p=458}} Although sculptures are often made out of bronze, Arup determined that the material would not be strong enough for a structure the size of the Angel, and weathering steel was used instead. The sculpture, in contrast to other sculptures including the [[Statue of Liberty]], has no internal skeleton to aid with wind resistance or overall stability.{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=40}} Instead, vertical parallel "ribs" run from the head to the feet of the sculpture which function as an external skeleton, breaking up the strength of oncoming wind and focussing it down to the foundations.{{sfn|Newton|Mills|1999|p=457-458}}

Although the ''Angel of the North'' is a static sculpture, it is intended to be viewed from many angles and by travellers who pass by at speed – an average of {{convert|60|mph|km/h}} by road.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|pp=16, 31}} A clause which was added by Gormley to the original agreement concerning the sculpture in 1994 states that it cannot be illuminated.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Boyle |first=Danny |date=2016-03-16 |title=Antony Gormley's lawyers warn Vote Leave over 'unlawful' stunt that hijacked Angel of the North |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/12195630/Antony-Gormleys-lawyers-warn-Vote-Leave-over-unlawful-stunt-that-hijacked-Angel-of-the-North.html |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}</ref> The ''Angel of the North'' was designed to have a life of more than 100 years.{{sfn|Newton|Mills|1999|p=467}} It has been claimed that it is Britain's largest sculpture,<ref>{{cite web |date=9 March 2021 |title=Concern over threat to setting as Angel Of The North is turned down for listing |url=https://c20society.org.uk/news/concern-over-threat-to-setting-as-angel-of-the-north-is-turned-down-for-listing#dismiss-cookie-notice |publisher=Twentieth Century Society}}</ref> but other sculptures – including [[Anish Kapoor]]'s [[ArcelorMittal Orbit|ArcelorMittal ''Orbit'']] – also claim the title.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Tim |title=Anish Kapoor's Orbit tower: the mother of all helter-skelters |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/may/06/olympics-orbit-anish-kapoor?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=5 May 2012 |access-date=13 February 2022}}</ref>

=== Location ===
{{Multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| image1            = The Angel of the North - geograph.org.uk - 2578425.jpg
| alt1              = Picture of the Angel of the North viewed from within a car travelling on the A1 near Lamesley.
| caption1          = The Angel of the North viewed from the A1 near Lamesley.
| image2            = From the Parking Lot - panoramio (1).jpg
| caption2          = The Angel of the North viewed from the nearby car park. Since its installation in 1998, the view has become more obstructed by the growth of trees
| alt2              = Statue rising above tree line
| align             = left
}}
The sculpture stands on a hill at Low Eighton in [[Lamesley]] Parish, overlooking the A1 and A167 roads and the [[East Coast Main Line]] rail route.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lamesley-pc.org.uk/the-angel-of-the-north/|title=The Angel of the North|publisher=Lamesley Parish Council|access-date=3 April 2022}}</ref> It lies within the Tyne and Wear Lowlands [[National Character Area]] which contains both urban areas and large stretches of fields. The area is also characterised by variations in [[topography]]. The Angel sits on top of one of the more elevated positions of the landscape located near Team Valley, allowing the sculpture to be seen from miles around.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=31}} In the design brief for the Angel, the designated location was described as "commanding views... from distances of up to 4 kilometres arcing through 100 degrees" with landmarks including [[Durham Cathedral]] visible.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=7}} The Angel was built on land which previously contained a reservoir of the former [[Team Colliery]], which was in use from the 1720s until the 1960s.{{sfn|Nicholson|2018|p=353}} The remains of the colliery were removed and earth was piled up into a knoll which the Angel now stands on.{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=21}} Gormley commented on this historic connection, saying "When you think of the mining that was done underneath the site, there is a poetic resonance. Men worked beneath the surface in the dark. Now, in the light, there is a celebration of this industry."{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=20}} The sculpture faces south, facing the traffic travelling north into Gateshead and towards Tyneside. Historically, the nearby valley allowed for a convenient passage into Tyne and Wear from the south. Over time, this evolved into more established modern travel routes.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=31}} Due to its proximity to the main road and rail line, it is estimated that 33 million people see the Angel every year, including those in the roughly 90,000 vehicles which pass each day.{{sfn|Nicholson|2018|p=352}}{{sfn|Newton|Mills|1999|p=458}} The statue can also been seen from nearby housing estates and commercial areas.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=39}}

[[File:Angel of the North viewed from East Coast Mainline train.jpg|thumb|alt=Statue viewed in the distance across fields. Railway overhead power lines can be seen in the immediate foreground|The statue viewed from a train on the nearby East Coast Mainline]]
The statue can be accessed by road via the A167 and a nearby car and coach park allows people to stop and view the sculpture up close. It also be reached on foot by a number of footpaths.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=7}} Accessibility, including sitting on and touching the sculpture, is encouraged.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=19}} It is flanked on the east and west sides by woodland, which has become more prevalent during the life of the Angel.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|pp=7, 9}} Since 1998, the appearance of the sculpture has become less open and more secluded due to the growth of trees. The trees were planted intentionally along section of the A1 as part of the former Great North Forest initiative and the original brief for the Angel stated that the sculpture would eventually be characterised by a woodland context.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=45}} When travelling north by road, the first views of the Angel are partially hidden by trees. Train passengers on the East Coast Main Line, located around {{convert|600|m}} to the west, are able to see the statue as they travel past.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=52}}

==Construction and installation==
Work began on the project in 1994.<ref name="angel-facts">{{cite web |url=http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/attractions/Angel/Facts.aspx |title=Angel facts |publisher=Gateshead Council |date=16 February 1998 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027211145/http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/attractions/Angel/Facts.aspx |archive-date=27 October 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Following a competitive tendering process, Hartlepool Steel Fabrications Ltd was chosen to [[Metal fabrication|fabricate]] the Angel.{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=41}} The construction took place in a shed bearing the name 'Hartlepool Erections Group', which Gormley visited most weeks during production.{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=23}} The sculpture was constructed in three parts: the body weighing {{convert|100|t|LT ST}} and two wings each weighing {{convert|50|t|LT ST}}. Steel fabrication began in June 1997.<ref>''Gateshead Post'' Thursday 25 September 1997, page 6</ref>

Twenty-metre foundations containing {{convert|600|t|LT ST}} of concrete form the base of the statue, anchoring it to the rock {{convert|70|ft}} below, built from Monday 1 September 1997, by Thomas Armstrong Ltd of [[Flimby]], west Cumbria.<ref>''Gateshead Post'' Thursday 4 September 1997, page 2</ref> Additionally, the old mine workings under the statue had 100{{nbsp}}tonnes of grout pumped into them to stabilise the site.<ref name=factsheet />

Gormley made a number of smaller models of the Angel to refine its design. The last smaller model needed to be perfectly scaled-up to inform the shape of the final full-size sculpture. [[Newcastle University]] was commissioned to use [[stereophotography]] to scan and create a computer-generated replica of the model. The details of the replica were then fed into a cutting machine to create the plates for Hartlepool Steel Fabrications.{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=41}}

On 14 February 1998, the components were transported in convoy, the body on a 48-wheel trailer, from their construction site in Hartlepool to the installation site {{convert|28|mi|km}} away. The journey, undertaken at night, took five hours and attracted large crowds.<ref name="angel-landed">{{cite news |title=The angel has landed |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/56000.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date=16 February 1998 |access-date=9 March 2007}}</ref><ref name="nearly-never-built">{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Francesca |title=Angel of the North: The icon that was nearly never built |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-42426028 |work=BBC News |date=11 February 2018 |access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref> The next morning, the Angel was lowered into position. The first wing was attached to the body at around 11{{nbsp}}am and the second at 4{{nbsp}}pm. The spectacle of the installation attracted crowds of thousands and over 20 television crews.{{sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=23}} A plaque beside the angel contains a quotation from Gormley: "The hill top site is important and has the feeling of being a megalithic mound. When you think of the mining that was done underneath the site, there is a poetic resonance. Men worked beneath the surface in the dark... It is important to me that the Angel is rooted in the ground—the complete antithesis of what an angel is, floating about in the ether. It has an air of mystery. You make things because they cannot be said."{{sfn|Tuck|2012|p=30-33}}

== Artistic significance and symbolism ==
The North of England Civic Trust's study on the significance of the ''Angel of the North'' claims that the sculpture may be "the most prominent piece of post-World War II [[public art]] in the UK", and "arguably the best known and most easily recognisable public artwork in the UK".{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|pp=12, 19}} It has also been described as the first significant example of gigantism in British sculpture. The ''Angel of the North'' differs from some other post-War art in that, being figurative, it clearly represents the human body rather than abstract forms. This human-like representation, combined with the fact that the Angel does not commemorate any one person or people, has meant that viewers have more easily and freely attached their own meaning to the sculpture.{{sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|pp=12, 14-16}} Such symbolisms have included optimism associated with the millennium, a historical connection with the miners who worked under the land on which the Angel stands, and personal or religious experiences.{{sfn|Blackman|2014}}

Like many of Antony Gormley's sculptures, the Angel provokes questions about the relationship between art, politics, the environment, and society.{{Sfn|Nicholson|2018|p=353}} Gormley has commented on the choice of depicting an angel for the sculpture, suggesting that the image was multi-functional; as a reminder of the industrial history of the site, beneath which was a disused quarry where miners had worked for centuries; as a reference to the future, symbolising the transition from the industrial to the information age; and as a focus for human hopes and fears.{{Sfn|Nicholson|2018|p=352}}<ref name="Archive" /> The Angel as conceived of by Gormley is therefore a symbol of hope rather than one of religion.{{Sfn|Faber|2010|p=31}} Gormley also stated "People are always asking, why an angel? The only response I can give is that no-one has ever seen one and we need to keep imagining them."{{Sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=20}} In comparing the modernity of the sculpture to historic concepts of angels, Gail-Nina Anderson remarked that the ''Angel of the North'' "is also an angel for the 1990s, a high-tech tribute to modern engineering in a period busy with amusing itself with fairies and angels, spirit-guides and reincarnations."{{Sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=107}}

==Reception==
Plans for the sculpture encountered significant opposition. Gormley has subsequently acknowledged being "snooty" towards the project; when originally approached by Gateshead Council, he scorned the opportunity, saying that he "did not make motorway art".<ref name="nearly-never-built"/> Local newspapers ran campaigns against the proposed sculpture, in which local politicians joined.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/conception-reception-story-angel-north-14272310|title=From conception to reception - the story of The Angel of the North|first1=David|last1=Whetstone|date=11 February 2018|newspaper=ChronicleLive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/angel-of-the-north-falkirk-kelpies-public-art-work-321998|title=Grand ambitions: British public arts add to sense of community|date=2 August 2019|newspaper=iNews}}</ref> Some critics compared the Angel to [[Fascist architecture|fascist]] or communist [[monumentalism]],{{Sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=54}} including The ''Gateshead Post'' who went as far as to draw comparisons between the Angel and a 1930s Nazi statue.<ref name="nearly-never-built" /> Concerns were raised about the potential for traffic accidents resulting from the statue's proximity to the A1 dual carriageway and that it would interfere with television and radio reception.<ref name="nearly-never-built" />{{Sfn|Nicholson|2018|p=352}}{{Sfn|Gormley et al|1998|p=27}}
[[File:Go North East Angel bus.jpg|alt=Angel of the North statue with a green Go North East Angel bus|left|thumb|The ''Angel of the North'' has become an iconic symbol of the North East and is used in a variety of local situations, such as imagery on [[Go North East]] Angel buses]]
Since its construction, the sculpture has continued to generate comment, and has been the focus of a number of [[publicity stunt]]s. In 2011, Gateshead Council refused [[Tourism Ireland]] permission to illuminate the Angel for [[Saint Patrick's Day]].<ref name="morrisons"/> In 2014, supermarket chain [[Morrisons]] was compelled to apologise after projecting an advertisement onto the Angel, which Gormley himself called "shocking and stupid".<ref name="morrisons">{{cite news |last1=Perry |first1=Keith |title=Antony Gormley: Morrison's Angel of the North stunt 'shocking and stupid' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/10812525/Antony-Gormley-Morrisons-Angel-of-the-North-stunt-shocking-and-stupid.html | url-access = subscription |work=The Telegraph |date=7 May 2014 }}</ref> The [[Vote Leave]] campaign projected their logo and message onto the sculpture in 2016, which prompted a legal letter from Gormley's solicitors stating that the projection was "unlawful and damaging to the integrity of this important work".<ref name=":1" /> On Christmas Eve 2018, a group of ten pranksters [[Abseiling|abseiled]] the sculpture to place a [[Santa suit|santa hat]] atop its head, having taken six previous failed attempts to do so over several christmasses.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Busby |first=Mattha |date=2018-12-24 |title=Pranksters dress Angel of the North in Santa hat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/24/pranksters-angel-of-the-north-santa-hat-christmas-gateshead |access-date=2024-10-31 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Gateshead Council welcomed the stunt, and the group took the hat down before the end of the year whilst dressed as the [[Grinch]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Busby |first=Mattha |date=2018-12-29 |title=The Grinch steals Santa hat from Angel of the North |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/29/the-grinch-steals-santa-hat-from-angel-of-the-north |access-date=2024-10-31 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In 2021, concerns that the sculpture's setting would be detrimentally affected by a road-widening project led [[The Twentieth Century Society]] to seek [[Listed building|listed building status]] for the structure. The Society's application was turned down by [[Historic England]], the body responsible for the [[National Heritage List for England]], which stated that threats to a structure's setting did not form part of its criteria for listing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-56362629|title=Angel of the North listed status bid refused|newspaper=BBC News|date=12 March 2021}}</ref>

Over 20 years after its completion, the Angel is considered a landmark for [[North East England|the North East]].<ref name="angel-landed" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/angel-north-20-today |title=The Angel of the North is 20 today | publisher = [[Arts Council England]] | date = 15 February 2018  |access-date= 2 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=In praise of ... the Angel of the North |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jan/30/leadersandreply.mainsection2 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=30 January 2008 |access-date=24 November 2011}}</ref> It was an important part of the area's regeneration around the time of the millennium.{{Sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=17}} It has been listed as an "Icon of England",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icons.org.uk |title=Icons of England |publisher=Icons.org.uk |access-date=18 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728035436/http://www.icons.org.uk/ |archive-date=28 July 2017 |url-status=dead }}|url-status=dead</ref> and been described as "one of the most talked about and recognisable pieces of public art ever produced."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/5303/The-history-of-the-Angel-of-the-North|title=The history of the Angel of the North |publisher=Gateshead Council|access-date=3 April 2022}}</ref> A display board next to it claims that it has inspired the community, brought pride and belief to the people of Gateshead, and brings daily national and international attention to the region.{{Sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=9}} A study conducted by Maeve Blackman of [[Durham University]] suggested that the Angel had improved the wellbeing and pride of Gateshead residents.{{Sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=19}}{{Sfn|Blackman|2014}} Martin Roberts, in his 2021 revised edition of ''County Durham'' for the [[Pevsner Architectural Guides|Buildings of England]] series, wrote: "Of all Gateshead Council's great projects, the Angel perhaps posed the greatest risk, yet delivered the greatest reward. Its erection captured the public imagination, its design won critical praise, and it gave both the town and the region a new symbol."{{sfn|Roberts|Pevsner|Williamson|2021|pp=435-436}}

==Maquettes==
[[File:Angel of the North (life-size maquette) July 2013.jpg|thumb|''Angel of the North (life-size maquette)'' on display in the grounds of the [[National Gallery of Australia]]]]
Several [[Maquette|maquettes]] were produced during the development stage of the project which are now considered valuable items.{{Sfn|North of England Civic Trust|2018|p=18}} A scale model from which the sculpture was created was sold at auction for £2.28&nbsp;million in July 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Buyer pays £2.3m for Angel model|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/7485180.stm|newspaper = BBC News|date =2 July 2008|access-date =4 October 2015}}</ref> An additional [[bronze]] maquette used in fundraising in the 1990s, owned by Gateshead Council, was valued at £1&nbsp;million on the BBC show ''[[Antiques Roadshow]]'' broadcast on 16 November 2008 — the most valuable item ever appraised on the programme.<ref name="GC-AR">{{cite web |date=17 November 2008 |title=Angel of the north is one in a million |url=http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Council%20and%20Democracy/news/News%20Articles/Angel%20is%20one%20in%20a%20million.aspx |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091215192523/http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Council%20and%20Democracy/news/News%20Articles/Angel%20is%20one%20in%20a%20million.aspx | archive-date = 15 December 2009 | url-status = dead | access-date=3 April 2022 |publisher=Gateshead Council}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/7731165.stm |title= Antiques Roadshow finds £1m Angel | newspaper=BBC News | date=16 November 2008 | access-date=1 January 2010}}</ref>
In 2011, a {{convert|1.9|m|in|sing=on|abbr=off}} maquette was sold at [[Christie's]] in London for £3.4&nbsp;million to an anonymous bidder.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-15321234|title=Antony Gormley's 'Angel of North' sold at auction|date=15 October 2011|newspaper=BBC News|access-date=25 August 2015}}</ref> Another maquette was donated to the [[National Gallery of Australia]] in 2009, and stands in its [[Sculpture garden|Sculpture Garden]].<ref name="NGA collection record">{{cite web|title=Angel of the North (life-size maquette) 1996|url=http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail.cfm?IRN=191980|work=Collection search|publisher=National Gallery of Australia|access-date=6 January 2013}}</ref> Another model (scale 1:20) is on display in the grounds of Museum Voorlinden in the Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wandelen |url=https://www.voorlinden.nl/bezoek/tuinen/wandelen/ |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=Museum Voorlinden |language=nl-NL}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of tallest statues]]
* ''[[Angel of the West]]'', an outdoor sculpture in Jupiter, Florida, US, the name of which references Gormley's sculpture
* ''[[Willow Man]]'', a sculpture in Somerset, England, which has been dubbed ''The Angel of the South''
* ''[[On Freedom's Wings]]'', a life-size sculpture of a Lancaster bomber in Lincolnshire, England

==References==
=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite thesis |last1=Blackman |first1=Fiona Maeve |title=The Angel of the North: Public Art and Wellbeing |url=http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10927/ |publisher=[[Durham University]] |date=2014}}
* {{cite book |last1=Faber |first1=Lee |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofangels0000fabe/page/30/mode/2up |title=The Book of Angels : an Illustrated Guide to Celestial Beings and Angelic Lore |publisher=Arcturus |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-84837-578-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gormley |first1=Antony |author1-link=Antony Gormley |last2=White |first2=Mike |last3=Sinclair |first3=Iain |last4=Campbell |first4=Beatrix |last5=Brown |first5=Stephanie |last6=Anderson |first6=Gail-Nina |title=Making an Angel |publisher=Booth-Clibborn Editions |others=[[Arup Group|Ove Arup & Partners]] |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-86154-063-8 |editor-last1=Allan |editor-first1=Diana |location=United Kingdom |ref={{sfnRef|Gormley et al|1998}}}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Nicholson |first1=Paul J. |date=2018 |title=Antony Gormley, The Angel of the North, 1998. |url=https://academic.oup.com/occmed/article-pdf/68/6/352/25458872/kqy096.pdf |journal=Occupational Medicine |volume=68 |issue=6 |pages=352–353 |doi=10.1093/occmed/kqy096}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Newton |first1=I. |last2=Mills |first2=J.P. |date=April 1999 |title=Photogrammetric Reverse Engineering of the "Angel of the North" |journal=[[Photogrammetric Record]] |volume=16 |issue=93 |pages=457–468|doi=10.1111/0031-868X.00136 |citeseerx=10.1.1.21.8661 |s2cid=15496845}}
* {{cite web |last1=North of England Civic Trust |others=Prepared with [[Arup Group|Arup]], Anna Pepperall, & Rebecca Farley. Prepared for Gateshead Council & [[Historic England]]. |date=January 2018 |title=A Study of the Significance Which the Angel of the North Gains From its Setting |publisher= |url=https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/TR010031/TR010031-001113-ANG.JB.000118.SettingStudyFinal%20Diags%20SMALL%20(002).pdf}}
* {{cite book |last1=Roberts |first1=Martin |last2=Pevsner |first2=Nikolaus |author2-link=Nikolaus Pevsner |last3=Williamson |first3=Elizabeth |title=County Durham |series=The Buildings of England |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |location=London / New Haven, CT |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-300-22504-4 |oclc=1225908677}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Tuck |first1=Langland |date=September 2012 |title=Angel of the North: An Icon for Great Britain? |journal=Sculpture Review |volume=61 |issue=3 |pages=30–33 |doi=10.1177/074752841206100303 |s2cid=192610743|doi-access=free }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Gateshead}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120215181955/http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/attractions/Angel/Home.aspx Gateshead Council's ''Angel of the North'' website]
* [http://www.antonygormley.com ''Angel of the North'' – Antony Gormley's official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060721182035/http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/angel/biography/angel-of-the-north The ''Angel of the North'' at icons.org, featuring pictures of the sculpture under construction]

{{Antony Gormley}}
{{T&W places}}
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[[Category:Sculptures by Antony Gormley]]
[[Category:Colossal statues in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Sculptures of angels]]
[[Category:Outdoor sculptures in England]]
[[Category:Steel sculptures in England]]
[[Category:Ove Arup buildings and structures]]
[[Category:1998 sculptures]]
[[Category:1998 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Gateshead]]
[[Category:Culture in Tyne and Wear]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Tyne and Wear]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1998]]
[[Category:Weathering steel]]
[[Category:Statues in England]]
[[Category:Northern England]]