Antony Gormley is a British sculptor and draftsman who was born on August 30, 1950 in London England.

Antony attended Trinity College In Cambridge for a degree in art history, archaeology, and anthropology. Gormley’s interest in making art continued throughout his degree as he found paid work painting murals for university balls, nightclubs and private parties. In 1971 he had saved up the money he earned from his college gigs to be able to travel to India as well as Sri Lanka. Antony returned home after three years. When returning back to London, he attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts, Goldsmiths College, and the Slade School of Fine Art. Some of his first sculptures were based off of the homeless people that he would see sleeping in the streets around India and Sri Lanka.

Antony’s first major breakthrough came in 1981 with his creation of “Bed”. The sculpture was the size of a double bed made entirely from bread bed stacked on top of one another. The center of the bed has two body like carvings out of it. They were actually eaten by Antony himself to replicate his own body.

He would then move onto creating figurative sculpture made from lead. he would later abandon this project though because he realized the lead was poisoning him. He then began making body castings during this time. He would use his own body as a “spiritual signifier” for all people, particularly when multiplied, as seen in works such as Three Ways, and Land, Sea and Air II. His wife, Vicken Parsons, Would become his primary studio assistant around this time.

Vicken would help Antony cover his entire body with plastic food wrap and plaster in a grueling and lengthy process of creation. This would set in motion some of Antony’s most famous work.

Antony has won many awards for his art throughout the years and I think that this is because his art brings something unique to the world of sculpture. One of Antony’s more recent endeavors was short term with figures made from delicate tangles of wire or geometric blocks that fit into one another like a puzzle. these are what attracted me to his work. Theres a mixer of modern elements as well as classical elements.

He has also moved into the realm of technology for one of his most recent works that was a collaboration project with Priyamvada Natarajan who is an astrophysicist. Lunatick,  a virtual reality experience that would allow viewers to fly over the surface of the moon.