Katharina Fritsch’s playful sculpture of a giant blue cockerel, commissioned for the fourth plinth in London’s iconic Trafalgar Square, has been unveiled.
Hahn/Cock will grace the infamous fourth plinth for the next 18 months until the beginning of 2015, and will become a talking point for millions of visitors, both Londoners and tourists alike.
Sitting with its back to the National Gallery and its beak to Nelson’s Column, the striking blue bird stands tall, appropriating the stance of history’s long line of male victors.
In an interview with The Guardian, Katharina Fritsch, who we represent for Copyright Licensing, says: “As a German woman, when I first came to London, the area around Trafalgar Square seemed to be very much focusing on men – especially with fashion, with Jermyn Street. You have all these dandies, all these businessmen in their suits, who have to be powerful and successful. And they are a little bit posing like cockerels."
As with its predecessors, which include Yinka Shonibare MBE’s Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle and Antony Gormley’s One & Other, the cockerel is expected to stimulate healthy discussion and debate over what constitutes public art today.
Find out more about the Fourth Plinth commissioning programme
The Fourth Plinth Programme is funded by the
Mayor of London with support from
Arts Council England.
Selection is overseen by a working group chaired by the writer and broadcaster, Ekow Eshun, with leading figures from the art world including artists Jeremy Deller and Grayson Perry, and Iwona Blazwick, Director of Whitechapel Art Gallery. Last year’s commission was
Powerless Structures, Fig 101 by artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset.
Find out more about the Fourth Plinth commission.
License an artwork by Katharina Fritsch
The internationally renowned German artist creates bold sculptures and installations which transform familiar objects and symbols. Colour is a significant aspect of her work, as are the industrial processes behind its creation. Well-known pieces include
Rattenkönig/Rat King (1993) and
Mönch (Monk) (2003)
DACS represents Katharina Fritsch for Copyright Licensing.
If you are interested in licensing her artwork, please
apply online or
contact us.
Find out more about how DACS supports artists.
Image: Katharina Fritsch, 'Hahn / Cock', 2013. Commissioned for the Mayor of London's Fourth Plinth Programme. Photo: Gautier Deblonde