Antony Gormley (British, b.1950)
You, 2006
Cast iron sculpture
Gift of Robert F. Vagt ’69 and Ruth Anne Vagt in honor of
Ashley Vagt-Buford ’94 and Lindsay Vagt ’01
I first encountered this sculpture during the first weeks of my freshman year on a late-night walk back from the library to my dorm. In the dark and my homework-induced delirium, I mistook this sculpture for a living, breathing person, and hurried back to my room. It was not until the next day when I passed by the courtyard between the library and Chambers again that I realized it was not a creepy man who lurked around campus at night, but rather a piece of art.
The sculpture, created by Antony Gormley and entitled “You,” was a gift to the college from former Davidson President Robert Vagt ‘69 and his wife Ruth Anne Vagt in honor of their daughters Ashley Vagt Buford ‘94 and Lindsey Vagt ‘01.
Gormley is a British sculptor born in London in 1960 who is known for his sculptures of human bodies in different positions. He attended Trinity College in Cambridge for his undergraduate studies and in 1971 received a degree in Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Art. He then briefly attended the Central School of Art and Design and Goldsmith’s College, both in London, before completing a postgraduate course in sculpture in 1979 at the Slade School of Fine Art, also in London.
This specific piece of Gormley’s that we have on campus, “You,” appears the be the silhouette of a man, the outline of the body is distinct, but the arms and legs seem to be fused to the rest of the body, with no gaps and very little sense of mobility. Of his work Gormley says, “I’ve never been interested in making statues, but I have been interested in asking what is the nature of the space a human being inhabits” (Artnet).
Gormley is primarily interested in exploring the human body’s relationship to space. He creates many of his pieces, including this one, using molds of his own body. Of this process he says, “My primary subject is my body: the only bit of the material world that I inhabit completely” (Gormley).
The purpose of this series is to educate and inform community members about the art that we have on campus. So next time you stumble upon this sculpture late at night, you can ponder your own body’s physical existence in space or perhaps even your body’s existence in space as related to that of the “body” of this sculpture.
Members of the Davidson community can view this work on display in front of the E.H. Little Library.
Click this link to access campus sculpture tour resources such as an audio guide and sculpture map.
Alice Berndt ’22
Works Cited
Artnet. “Antony Gormley Biography.” http://www.artnet.com/artists/antony- gormley/biography.
Gormley, Antony. “Transcription of interview recorded at De CordovaMuseum Sculpture Park & Museum.” 12 November 2010. https://www.antonygormley.com/uploads/files/REFLECTION-Reflection.pdf.