A scale model of the Angel of the North has broken records by selling at auction for more than £2 million. The six foot, six inch high replica of Antony Gormley’s 65 foot high original, which is situated on the A1 just outside Gateshead in North East England, was sold at Sotheby’s on Tuesday.
The scale model was one of five smaller versions created by Gormley from a cast of his own body.
An anonymous buyer paid £2.28 million (approximately AUD $4,691,000) for the sculpture, which was expected to fetch £800,000. Mr Gormley received a flat fee of just under £10,000 from the sale.
The full size statue has a wingspan of 177ft (54m) making it wider than the Statue of Liberty’s height, whereas the replica sold at auction has a wingspan of 16ft.
“Gateshead is celebrating the Angel of the North’s 10th anniversary this year,” said Marissa Buckingham, International Brand Manager at One NorthEast, which is responsible for tourism in North East England.
“This record sale for a replica of the Angel shows not only the Angel’s popularity, but the intense interest in Antony Gormley’s creative work.”
Seen by over 150,000 visitors a year, the Angel of the North is a major visitor attraction and is known as one of the 12 official ‘Icons of England.’ Work on the original sculpture started in July 1997 and it was assembled on site seven months later in February 1998.
Fabricated from 200 tonnes of weathering steel by Hartlepool Steel Fabrications Ltd on Teesside the sculpture is widely considered the country’s most famous work of public modern art.
