In this first comprehensive overview of his drawing practice from 1980 to the present, artist and sculptor Antony Gormley reflects on the ideas, processes, and histories behind his craft.

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.'

Details

ISBN13: 9780500029282
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 320
Edition:
Publication Date: 23 Apr 2026
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 28(H)x26(L)1920
Weight (gm): 1920

Author Biography

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, S√£o 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.

Reviews

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 *
An intriguing and compelling book that has the capacity to change your whole vision * The Artist *
A major insight into an important part of his practice ... Expect Gormley's deeply personal insights throughout * Maxwell's Museums *
A handsome door-stopper * The Spectator *