The Irish Times

One could be forgiven for thinking there was a certain air of inevitability to the news that sculptor Antony Gormley is to create a major public artwork for Dublin's Docklands. After all, high-profile architects Daniel Libeskind and Manuel Aires Mateus, and landscape architect Martha Schwartz are already on board, while, some way upriver, there's Santiago Calatrava's James Joyce Bridge. What more logical than to stick with the international A-list when it comes to those who weave the contemporary urban fabric? On the other hand, you could argue, if you just round up the usual suspects you'll end up with an identikit city. But it has to be said that, with his plan for a 48m-high figure emerging dramatically from the River Liffey, Gormley has come up with a striking, original and challenging design. Furthermore, he was awarded the commission by a wide-ranging selection panel from a short-list of six invited artists, Irish and international, all of high standing. Dorothy Cross, Andrew Kearney, Thomas Schütte, Grace Weir and Luis Jiménez also submitted detailed proposals (though, sadly, Jiménez subsequently died).