A huge bronze sculpture of a young black woman “who represents the city’s spirit” has been chosen to go on the fourth plinth.
Lady in Blue by Tschabalala Self will take its place in Trafalgar Square in 2026 and will be followed in 2028 by Andra Ursuţa‘s Untitled - a hollow, life-sized person on a horse covered in a shroud and cast in a slime-green resin.
Self’s work of a woman in a striking blue dress and heels is described as paying “homage to a young, metropolitan woman of colour” and as “a walking icon of the everyday”.
The New York born artist said she was “honoured” to be chosen, adding: “My work 'Lady in Blue’ will bring to Trafalgar Square a woman that many can relate to. She is not an idol to venerate or a historic figurehead to commemorate. She is a woman striding forward into our collective future with ambition and purpose.
“She is a Londoner, who represents the city’s spirit.”