Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth: Winners announced

A ‘Lady in Blue’ and ‘Unknown’ have been chosen to decorate London’s Fourth Plinth in 2026 and 2028.

A blue and bronze homage to a woman of colour, and a person riding a horse shrouded in green resin have been chosen as Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth sculptures for 2026 and 2028. 
The works were selected from a shortlist of five other sculptures, among which were a giant black cat, pastel ice cream van and sweet potato island. 
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, London’s Fourth Plinth initiative chooses a different artwork to adorn the grey slab every two years. 
Prue Leith, who was chair of the Royal Society of Arts, sparked the idea in 1994 after writing a letter to the Evening Standard paper suggesting something be done about the empty plinth. 
Since then, it’s become “probably the most famous public art commission in the world”, according to the London Assembly.
‘Lady in Blue’ by American artist Tschabalala Self will go on display in 2026 and pays tribute to a contemporary metropolitan “everywoman”. Made of bronze, the dress’s bold blue colour was created with lapis lazuli blue, a north African and Middle Eastern pigment. 
“In my mind I thought of her as a Londoner, a contemporary figure, a woman that many people could identify with,” Self told the BBC. 
‘Untitled’ by Romanian artist Andra Ursuța is due to be installed in 2028; a hollowed out slime-like shroud covering a figure on a horse that commentates on traditional public sculptures at a time when there is increasing debate over their value within a progressive society. 
Excited to reveal the winning #FourthPlinth artworks for 2026 & 2028 in Trafalgar Sq 🏛️ Lady in Blue by Tschabalala Self & Untitled by Andra Ursuţa! Congratulations to all the shortlisted artists & big thanks to the Commissioning Group & our incredible partners ✨️ pic.twitter.com/e4XYAtxVpd
“The rider and horse will remain anonymous, their distinguishing features concealed under the folds that drape over them. Hovering at the edge of visibility, the work is a yet-to-be-uncovered or an already cancelled public monument. A ghost of history and a parody of itself,” a statement reads. 
Past examples include a bronze-cast hand giving a seven-metre-high thumbs up, a big blue chicken and a 100-day rotation of real people, who would stand on the plinth for 24 hours at a time in 2009. 
The current sculpture is ‘Antelope’ by Samson Kambalu: a bronze depiction of a 1914 photograph of the Baptist preacher and pan-Africanist John Chilembwe and European missionary John Chorley. 
‘Improntas (Imprints)’ by Teresa Margolles, a collection of plaster cast faces of trans people that will take the form of a Tzompantli (an ancient skull rack), will be displayed in September 2024. 
The winners are decided by the aptly titled Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group, a specialist panel of artists, journalists and curators, who advise London’s Mayor ahead of an official approval.
Public feedback also plays a part in who is selected.