Arts Programme

Throughout its history, art in St Paul's Cathedral has inspired and illuminated the Christian faith for those who visit, and provided a focus for reflection, meditation and contemplation.

The cathedral is home to a spectacular array of art; from the delicate carvings of Grinling Gibbons to Sir James Thornhill's dome murals as well as the Victorian mosaics and Henry Moore's 'Mother and Child'. In recent times, a series of artistic interventions by artists including Rebecca Horn and Yoko Ono have further enriched the daily pattern of worship in the cathedral.

The St Paul's Cathedral Arts Programme seeks to explore the encounter between art and faith, and we believe that the cathedral offers a powerful and challenging context with which artists can engage.

Recent Projects

Perspectives, designed by John Pawson. (September 2011 - mid January 2012)

As part of the cathedral's tercentenary celebrations, the London Design Festival invited John Pawson to present a remarkable installation which references Sir Christopher Wren's desire that his buildings should have a scientific purpose. The installation, entitled Perspectives, designed in collaboration with Swarovski Crystal Palace, is located within the Geometric Staircase.There is a nice precedent for this idea of using the architecture as an optical instrument, since Sir Christopher Wren used a similar chamber in The Monument as an observatory.

The intention is to turn this extraordinary spatial volume into its own viewing device. The installation is a concave Swarovski crystal meniscus - the largest commissionable lens – which is located at the bottom of the stairwell. This lens sits on a much larger reflective surface - the upper plane of a specially fabricated metal hemisphere (1200mm in diameter and 675mm in height). A 2m wide spherical convex mirror is suspended in the tower's cupola, directly over the hemisphere. Acting in concert, these optical devices result in a composite image of the view up through the tower and an elevated downward perspective appearing to visitors gathered round the hemisphere.

More information, images and video footage of the project can be found on the Perspectives blog 

Mannheim Altarpiece, Mark Alexander (Summer 2010)

St Paul's chose two new works by the British artist Mark Alexander to be hung either side of the nave in summer 2010.

Both entitled Red Mannheim, Alexander's large red silkscreens are inspired by the Mannheim Cathedral altarpiece (1739-41), which was damaged by bombing in the Second World War. The original sculpture depicts Christ on the cross, surrounded by a familiar retinue of mourners. Rendered in splendid giltwood, with Christ's wracked body sculpted in relief, and the flourishes of flora and incandescent rays from heaven, this masterpiece of the German Rococo is an object of ravishing beauty and intense piety.

Find out more about Mark Alexander's Mannheim Altarpiece

Flare II, Antony Gormley (February - November 2010)

Flare II, a dramatic sculpture by Antony Gormley, was installed in the Geometric Staircase in April 2010.

Watch a behind the scenes conversation between Antony Gormley and Canon Giles Fraser

Read Canon Giles Fraser's Thought for the Day about Gormley's Flare II (broadcast 04/03/10)

Bill Viola commission

Internationally acclaimed artist Bill Viola has been commissioned to create two altarpieces for permanent display in St Paul's Cathedral. The project commenced production in mid 2009 with completion in the summer of 2012 subject to the necessary funds being raised through donation.

Following the extensive programme of cleaning and repair of the interior of St Paul's, completed in 2005, Bill Viola has been commissioned to create two altarpieces on the themes of Mary and Martyrs. These two multi-screen video installations will be permanently located at the end of the Quire aisles, flanking the High Altar of the Cathedral and the American Memorial Chapel where US Service men and women who gave their lives in the Second World War are commemorated.

Each work will employ an arrangement of multiple plasma screen panels configured in a manner similar to historic altarpieces. The screens will be mounted on hinged panels, allowing them to be closed.

The Question Mark Inside, Martin Firrell (08/11/08 - 15/11/08)

For one week, Britain's most famous cathedral became a lighthouse of text and light projections on the capital's skyline. Firrell's text was based on blog contributions from members of the public, interviews conducted by the artist with a range the UK's most respected thinkers from the Dean of St. Paul's to the humanist A.C Grayling, along with the artist's own observations.

The project sought to answer the question: 'what are the things that make modern life meaningful and what does St Paul's mean in that contemporary context?'

Visit The Question Mark Inside online archive