Visit England’s Angel of the North is You Get a Kick Out of Art

By
Moran B
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Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

The Angel of the North was created by artist Anthony Gormley at 54 meters wide and 20 meters high. This means it has the wingspan of a jumbo jet! Its wings are angled forward to create the sense that the giant angel is leaning towards an embrace.

This steel sculpture was completed in 1998, and is located in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear in the north of England. It is perhaps the most famous public artwork in the entire UK.

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.⠀ 🌏 CONGRATULATIONS…⠀ 📷 @dlawtonphotography⠀ 📍Angel of the North, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⠀ ⠀ Trip to the Angel of the North.⠀ Since spreading its wings in February 1998, Antony Gormley's Angel of the North in Gateshead has become one of the most talked about pieces of public art ever produced.⠀ Rising 20 metres from the earth near the A1 in Gateshead, the Angel dominates the skyline, dwarfing all those who come to see it and has become a symbol of home for many Geordies. Made from 200 tonnes of steel, it has a wingspan of 54 metres and a red-brown colour that comes from the weathering steel which can withstand winds of more than 100 miles per hour.⠀ What a stunning shot this is of this amazing place.⠀ ⠀ Follow @excellent_universe and tag #excellent_universe⠀ ⠀ Please consider following and tagging our other excellent hubs:⠀ @excellent_britain #excellent_britain⠀ @excellent_bestmacro #excellent_bestmacro⠀ ⠀ Feature selected by Caroline @caroricephotos⠀ ⠀ Please check out our friends:⠀ @yourbritain⠀ @gloriousbritain⠀ @gloriouseurope⠀ @genuinebritain⠀ @hike_britain⠀ @discovering_the_lakes⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #gloriousbritain #excellent_britain #genuinebritain #gloriouseurope #discovering_the_lakes #hike_britain ⠀ #ukpotd #visitbritain #trip #photosofbritain #explore #love #beautiful #instagood #landscapephotography #wanderlust #picoftheday #naturephotography #scenery #countryside #travelling #instatravel #igersuk #england #angelofthenorth⠀ ⠀ #eu_dlawtonphotography⠀

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Before it was commissioned this project raised many concerns and comments, including a worry that its massive size and metallic material might interfere with TV reception.

As part of the development, the artist prepared a few models for the sculpture, the body of which is based on a cast of the artist’s own body. One of these models was even featured in the BBC show Antiques Roadshow in 2008 and was appraised to be valued £1 million.