The Chapter of York is exploring an artistic collaboration with celebrated artist Antony Gormley.

It is hoped that this collaboration through 2027 – York Minster’s 1400th anniversary – will form a part of the Minster’s annual programme of events and exhibitions in 2028.

The proposed sculptures, Meet and Close, require consents under the Care of Cathedrals Measure. Additionally, the external work, Meet, will require planning permission from City of York Council which has been submitted for determination.

The Very Reverend Dominic Barrington, Dean of York, said:

“We are immensely excited by the opportunity to work with Antony Gormley, celebrating the centuries of art that come together to form this extraordinary place.

“The proposed works would offer a contemporary examination of the body, which features prominently throughout York Minster, most famously in the pre-Reformation Kings’ Screen, but will also offer a fresh lens for us to examine the fundamentals of what make us human.”

Antony Gormley said:

“For me, this project is a precious opportunity to make a new work for the Minster, an evolving human project that has been both host and catalyst for human imagination for millennia.”