‘Everywoman’ statue unveiled on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth

A sculpture inspired by a desire to bring a contemporary “everywoman” to Trafalgar Square has been unveiled on London’s Fourth Plinth.

Lady In Blue by New York artist Tschabalala Self, which pays homage to a young, metropolitan woman, is the 16th artwork to feature on the plinth since 1998.

The bronze and blue figure replaces Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times in an Instant) by Teresa Margolles.

The statue has been patinated with a pigment refined from Lapis Lazuli, a semi-precious stone that has been used by artists for millennia.

Self said she had set out to put an ordinary contemporary Londoner on a site more usually associated with statues of monarchs and military commanders.

“My work Lady In Blue will bring to Trafalgar Square a woman that many can relate to,” the artist said.

“She is not an idol to venerate or a historic figurehead to commemorate.

“She is a woman walking forward into our collective future with ambition and purpose. She is a Londoner, who represents the city’s spirit.”