Katharina Fritsch Unveils Her Giant Blue Cock In Trafalgar Square

Katharina Fritsch

Katharina Fritsch has unveiled her fourth plinth commission (Thursday 25th July 2013) in London’s Trafalgar Square. The 4.7m high sculpture titled ‘Hahn/Cock’ will occupy Trafalgar Square’s empty plinth for 18 months.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘As a platform for contemporary art, the Fourth Plinth has etched itself into the consciousness of people from across the world. Its position in Trafalgar Square encapsulates the collision of heritage and the cutting edge that make London such a dynamic and creative city. Katharina Fritsch commands tremendous respect internationally and her giant blue bird will provide a striking new focal as well as talking point for Londoners and tourists alike.’

Katharina Fritsch Unveils Her Giant Blue Cock In Trafalgar Square
 
Born in Essen, Germany, Katharina Fritsch is one of today’s leading internationally recognised contemporary artists. She studied at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf and has exhibited widely, particularly across Europe and the USA. She represented Germany at the 46th Venice Biennale and has been the subject of exhibitions at the Kunstmuseum Krefeld, ICA London, Kunsthalle Basel, DIA Centre for the Arts New York, San Francisco Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum für Gegenwartskunst Basel, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Tate Modern, K21 Kunstsammlung im Ständehaus, Düsseldorf, Kunsthaus Zurich, Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Fritsch has participated in numerous international group shows including the Munster Sculpture Project, The Carnegie International Pittsburgh, 7th Lyon Biennale, 10,000 Lives: 8th Gwangju Biennale South Korea, ‘Illuminations’, 54th Venice Biennale, ‘Figure in the Garden’ in the Rockefeller Sculpture Garden MoMA, New York and currently her work is on show at K20 Düsseldorf. Her work is represented in many significant permanent collections including The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, Schaulager, Basel, Glenstone Collection, Maryland, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein Westfalen Düsseldorf and MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt.
Katharina Fritsch Unveils Her Giant Blue Cock In Trafalgar Square
The Fourth Plinth Programme is the most high profile and provocative contemporary art prize in the UK. Funded by the Mayor of London with support from Arts Council England it commissions world-class artists to make challenging new works for the historic heart of the capital.
 
Bringing out the art critic in everyone, the Fourth Plinth Programme aims to trigger public debate about contemporary art in London’s public spaces. In 2010, over 17,000 people commented on the six shortlisted commissions at an in at St Martin-in-the-Fields and via the website, resulting in this latest commission.
 
Read More About The Fourth Plinth Here

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