Mini 'Angel' sells for £2m

6:20pm Wednesday 2nd July 2008

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A SCALE model of the Angel of the North has broken records by selling at auction for more than £2m.

The 6ft 6ins high replica of Antony Gormleys 65ft high original was sold at Sothebys on Tuesday.

It was one of five smaller versions created by Gormley from a cast of his own body.

An anonymous buyer paid £2.28m for the sculpture, which was expected to fetch £800,000.

Mr Gormley received a flat fee of just under 10,000 from the sale.

A Sothebys spokesman said the lot, part of a catalogue of contemporary works from a range of artists, attracted a huge amount of interest.

"Sothebys evening sale of Contemporary Art tonight realised a phenomenal 94,701,550 - making it the most successful summer sale of Contemporary Art ever held in Europe," he said.

Many of the works offered soared beyond expectations, with over 66.2 per cent of the works sold achieving prices in excess of high estimate.

Tynesiders are celebrating the Angels tenth anniversary this year.

Antony Gormley's design was chosen by Gateshead Council from a shortlist of international artists in 1994. It took a further four years to construct and install.

The full size statue, which overlooks the A1 in Gatehead, has a wingspan of 177ft - wider than that of a Boeing 767 - whereas the replica sold at auction has a wingspan of 16ft.

With its exposed hillside position, the Angels wings and foundations had to be built to withstand south-easterly winds of up to 100mph.