Drawing: Antony Gormley

By (author) Gormley Antony; Contributions by Winterson, Jeanette; Contributions by Sheldrake, Merlin; Contributions by Iversen, Margaret; Contributions by Mitchell, WJT; Contributions by Hildyard Daisy
Description:
A comprehensive overview of Antony Gormley’s drawings from 1980 to the present, with insightful texts from the artist and major contributors.

‘What is drawing?’ the artist asks in the prologue to Drawing: Antony Gormley. ‘What does it mean to draw?’ This beautifully illustrated volume presents the first comprehensive overview of Antony Gormley’s drawings from 1980 to the present day, offering an intimate and enlightening window into the artist’s vision.

Illustrating over 400 works, many of which have never been seen or published before, this major new publication traces Gormley’s exploration of drawing as a vital form of thought and feeling. The artist’s own reflections punctuate the book with deeply personal insights into his process, including ruminations on drawing’s possibilities – ‘the act of drawing is its own experimental field, a journey into the unarmed parts of our internal landscape’ – and meditations on ‘the intrinsic qualities of substances and liquids’, from charcoal, mushroom ink and blood to the earth beneath our feet.

Accompanying Gormley’s writings are perceptive texts by Jeanette Winterson, Margaret Iversen, Daisy Hildyard, W.J.T. Mitchell and Merlin Sheldrake. Each contributor offers a unique perspective on Gormley’s work and the wider meaning of drawing as an act of exploration and transformation.

Drawing: Antony Gormley stands as both a personal and artistic journey. As Gormley himself reflects, ‘Drawings have immediacy. In a good session, drawing can be like going for a rugged, physical adventure on a blustery day with changing conditions of light and rain. A day passed without drawing is a day lost.’
Review quote:
''This is about form. Those figure-like shapes, mostly drawn in the dark, that architectural grid, they''re explorations of shape. And look, here''s an incipient Angel of the North, that beacon that changes shape, form and structure depending on how you view it'' - The Times
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''An intriguing and compelling book that has the capacity to change your whole vision'' - The Artist
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''A major insight into an important part of his practice ... Expect Gormley’s deeply personal insights throughout'' - Maxwell''s Museums
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''A handsome door-stopper'' - The Spectator
Biographical note:
Antony Gormley is a distinguished British artist and sculptor, perhaps best known for Angel of the North (1998), a national landmark in the UK, and Event Horizon (2007), a multi-part installation that premiered in London before travelling to New York, São Paulo, and Hong Kong. He won the Turner Prize in 1994 and has been a Royal Academician since 2003. He was knighted in 2014 and appointed Companion of Honour for his services to art in 2025. Gormley is the co-author, with Martin Gayford, of Shaping the World: Sculpture from Prehistory to Now, published by Thames & Hudson in 2020.
Promotional headline:
A comprehensive overview of Antony Gormley’s drawings from 1980 to the present, with insightful texts from the artist and major contributors