York Minster is working with Antony Gormley on two sculptures, Meet and Close, for its 2028 programme. One stands outside and needs council planning permission.

York Minster wants to bring two new sculptures by Antony Gormley to the cathedral. The artist behind the Angel of the North is working with the Minster on the pieces, called Meet and Close.

The Chapter of York, which runs the Minster, announced the plan on Friday 30 October (York Minster, 30 October 2026). It describes the project as one it is “exploring”. Nothing is approved yet.

When the sculptures could appear

The Minster hopes the work will form part of its programme of events and exhibitions in 2028. The collaboration runs through 2027, the year the Minster marks the 1,400th anniversary of its founding.

That anniversary dates from the baptism of King Edwin of Northumbria in 627 (York Minster, April 2025). The Minster is already commissioning new art for the anniversary year, through its Talent Awards with York curator Cherie Federico of Aesthetica.

What has to be approved first

Two sets of permission are needed:

  • Both sculptures need consent under the Care of Cathedrals Measure, the Church of England’s own system for changes to cathedrals.
  • Meet, the outdoor work, also needs planning permission from City of York Council. The Minster says that application has been submitted.

We searched the council’s planning register on 30 October and the application was not yet listed. It should appear once the council has validated it. We will add the reference here when it does, along with where Meet would stand.

The Minster has done this before. The statue of Queen Elizabeth II on the west front went through the same council process, under application 21/01364/FUL.

What the Minster and the artist said

The Very Reverend Dominic Barrington, Dean of York, said the Minster was “immensely excited by the opportunity to work with Antony Gormley”.

He said the works “would offer a contemporary examination of the body, which features prominently throughout York Minster, most famously in the pre-Reformation Kings’ Screen”. He added that they would “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.”

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes at the Minster yet. No dates, locations or designs for the sculptures have been published.
  • You will be able to comment on Meet. Once the application is on the council’s planning register, anyone can view the drawings and send comments before a decision.
  • The 2027 anniversary year comes first, with its own programme of commissioned art inside the Minster.