The Angel That Set Antony Gormley's Auction Record
3 min read · 25 Apr 2025
A Case For An Angel I. Image courtesy of Christie's
Antony Gormley's A Case For An Angel I (1989) sold for $6.96m (£5.3m) at Christie's in London on October 6, 2017. The plaster, fibreglass, lead, steel and air work had not been traded before.
The work was the first time Gormely, who went to the Catholic boarding school Ampleforth College, had created a sculpture that referenced angels.
The core of A Case for an Angel I was cast from a plaster mould taken of Gormley's body while he stood wrapped in clingfilm. The cast was then plated with hand-beaten lead.
Gormley made the dramatic, life-sized work a decade before his 200-tonnes Corten steel Angel of the North was unveiled on a hilltop in the north east of England.
A Case for an Angel II is in the collection of Takaoka Art Museum, Toyama, Japan, and A Case for an Angel III in the Tate's collection.
Angel Of The North (Life-size Maquette). Image courtesy of Christie's
The sale beat Gormley’s previous auction record by $1.58m, a 29% rise. His previous record was set by Angel Of The North (Life-Size Maquette) (1996), which sold for $5.38m at Christie's on October 14, 2011. The work had not been traded before.
Sale Date | Title | Price | Record Increase | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017-10-06 | A Case For An Angel I | $6.96m | 29 % | Christie's | London |
2011-10-14 | Angel Of The North (Life-size Maquette) | $5.38m | 18 % | Christie's | London |
2008-07-01 | Angel Of The North (Life-size Maquette) | $4.54m | 584 % | Sotheby's | London |
2008-02-28 | Domain XXXII 2003 | $664,200 | 79 % | Sotheby's | London |
2006-10-14 | Present time | $371,000 | 19 % | Sotheby's | London |
2006-06-22 | Fold Ii | $311,000 | 12 % | Christie's | London |
2006-02-09 | Drawn Apart | $278,500 | 5 % | Sotheby's | London |
2005-10-23 | Fathers and sons gods and artists monuments and toys | $265,300 | 81 % | Christie's | London |
2004-06-21 | Quantum cloud XIV | $146,500 | 24 % | Bonhams | London |
2003-02-06 | Quantum cloud XXI | $117,700 | 49 % | Sotheby's | London |
1999-06-29 | Facing world | $78,900 | 97 % | Christie's | London |
1992-05-07 | Fill | $40,000 | - | Sotheby's | New York |
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