Today marks the unveiling of Lady in Blue, the monumental new sculpture by Tschabalala Self, on the Fourth Plinth in London's Trafalgar Square. Peder Lund Art Advisory Associates is proud to announce that, when the presentation concludes in 2028, Lady in Blue will travel to Norway, where she will find a permanent home within a forthcoming public art project — an acquisition facilitated by Peder Lund Art Advisory Associates.
Since 1999, the Fourth Plinth Commission has stood as the most prestigious and visible platform for contemporary public sculpture in the world. Seen by millions each year at the heart of London's civic life, it has presented landmark commissions by leading international artists including Rachel Whiteread, Yinka Shonibare, Elmgreen & Dragset, Katharina Fritsch, and Michael Rakowitz. To be selected for the Fourth Plinth is to enter a curatorial lineage that has redefined what public art can be — ambitious, concept-driven, and in direct dialogue with the social and cultural conditions of our time.
Tschabalala Self (b. 1990) is one of the most acclaimed artists of her generation. Internationally recognized for a bold figurative language that centers Black women as protagonists of contemporary life, Self works across sculpture, painting, and assemblage to create powerful, stylized figures whose presence challenges historical absences in art history and public space. Her work has been exhibited at major museums worldwide and is celebrated for its clarity, charisma, and cultural resonance.
Lady in Blue stands as a poised, forward-looking figure — an homage to the young metropolitan woman of color encountered in today's global cities, from London and Lagos to New York and, increasingly, Oslo. Cast in bronze, the sculpture draws on the long lineage of civic statuary, while its patina evokes the intense ultramarine of lapis lazuli — the storied pigment of Renaissance masterpieces and ancient Egyptian craftsmanship, a color that has symbolized dignity and elevated human presence across civilizations. In Self's hands, this heritage is reinterpreted for the twenty-first century: a contemporary everywoman, monumentalized not as an untouchable idol but as a confident presence striding through shared civic space.
That Lady in Blue will find her permanent home in Norway is an extraordinary moment for public art in the region. When the presentation concludes in 2028, the sculpture will take her place within a public art project to be announced — a lasting home for one of the defining public artworks of our time, carrying with it the full history, prestige, and international visibility of the Fourth Plinth. It is a rare occurrence for a work of this stature to enter a permanent public setting, and rarer still for it to do so in the Nordic region.
Peder Lund Art Advisory Associates facilitated the acquisition, continuing its commitment to bringing works of the highest international caliber into the public sphere.