Steidlville

The Fourth Plinth in London’s historic Trafalgar Square has been empty for most of its 164 year history. The site is arguably the most significant public art space in the United Kingdom and on 15 September 2005, Marc Quinn's contentious sculpture, Alison Lapper Pregnant, was unveiled. The sculpture is a portrait of disabled artist Alison Lapper when she was eight months pregnant. Carved from white Carrera marble in Pietrasanta, Italy, it weighs thirteen tonnes and stands 3.55 metres high. It will remain on the Fourth Plinth for 18 months.

Alison Lapper, the subject of the piece, said: 'I regard it as a modern tribute to femininity, disability and motherhood. It is so rare to see disability in everyday life — let alone naked, pregnant and proud. The sculpture makes the ultimate statement about disability — that it can be as beautiful and valid a form of being as any other.'

This book traces the inspiration for the work — through Quinn’s drawings, references (such as the Venus de Milo) and early maquettes — to its creation — the casting of Alison Lapper and carving in Italy — and installation in Trafalgar Square. The back section of the book is devoted to the published reaction to the piece — a furore of tabloid disgust, critical acclaim and vociferous argument for the permanent installation of the work at the site of the Fourth Plinth.