“Mandela was a beacon against racism, the statue will be a memory against forgetting that history,” explained the chair of The Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation (NMSMF) at the unveiling today.
The public are now being invited to share their views on the potential options for the statue which will be placed in Nelson Mandela Place in October next year, 2026.
The total cost for the statue is estimated to be around £180,000, with all funds raised entirely from donations and supporters with no public funds being used.
NMSMF launched the competition in April 2025 for the design of the statue of Nelson Mandela in Glasgow, the first city in the world to award its Freedom to him.
Brian Filling Chair of the Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation with the Lord Provost of Glasgow Jacqueline McLaren (Image: Robert Perry)
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There were numerous expressions of interest from sculptors and following an evaluation by a panel of artists, professionals from the art world, an architect and engineer, five of the submissions were shortlisted.
The public are now being invited to view the maquettes produced by the five shortlisted sculptors to create the statue of Nelson Mandela in Nelson Mandela Place, Glasgow.
The shortlisted artists are Paul Ferriter, Alan Herriot, Kenny Hunter, Hector Guest and David Mitchell.
The sculptors were commissioned by NMSMF to produce maquettes (models of the statue) of their design.
Here are the five options:
Sculptor – Kenny Hunter (Image: Robert Perry)
Sculptor – Alan B. Herriot (Image: Robert Perry)
Sculptor – Paul Ferriter (Image: Robert Perry)
Sculptor – David J. Mitchell (Image: Robert Perry)
Sculptor – Hector Guest (Image: Robert Perry)
Brian Filling, NMSMF Chair and Honorary Consul for South Africa, spoke at the event today.
He said: “We are delighted to have reached this stage in the project to create a statue of Nelson Mandela in the street that bears his name. Nelson Mandela remains a symbol of the struggle to make the world a better place and a beacon for the continuing struggle against racism.”
“Glasgow was in the forefront of the world-wide anti-apartheid campaign with the city being the first in the world to award Nelson Mandela its Freedom in 1981, re-naming a street in his name in 1986, sending off 25 marchers to London from a 30,000 strong rally in Glasgow Green in 1988 calling for his release, and then to give him a rapturous welcome when he visited the city to receive the awards from 9 UK cities in 1993.”
He added, “The statue will remind future generations of Nelson Mandela’s outstanding life of struggle against colonialism and apartheid and the part that the people of Glasgow, Scotland and the UK played in securing his release after 27 years in prison and the ending of apartheid in South Africa.”
“We hope that many people will view the maquettes in the City Chambers and make their views known so that it becomes the People’s Statue reflecting their identification with the struggle of Nelson Mandela and the South African people.”
Trial trenches being dug in Nelson Mandela Place in February 2023 (Image: The Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation)
Concept design for scale (Image: (Image: The Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation))
While the decision on which design will be created falls on a judging panel, the NMSMF are keen to have the public’s views and input on which design to take forward.
The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Councillor Jacqueline McLaren, said, “The people of Glasgow played an outstanding role in isolating apartheid South Africa. We are proud to be the first city to grant Nelson Mandela the Freedom of the City, our highest accolade, and to support him during his imprisonment. After apartheid, we helped South Africa rebuild by sending thousands of books to schools and working with Eastern Cape municipalities to overcome the legacy of that time.
“This statue will honour Nelson Mandela’s courage and leadership, keep alive the lessons of that struggle, and reflect the solidarity of Glasgow’s people. It is fitting that a permanent memorial to the fight against apartheid is marked by a statue of Mandela, whom Glaswegians welcomed in their thousands when he visited the city.”
Brian Filling Chair of the Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation with sculptor Kenny Hunter’s entry. (Image: Robert Perry)
The maquettes will be on display in Glasgow City Chambers on weekdays from 1pm on Friday 7 November until 14 November (excluding 11 November) for viewing by the public.
Visitors to the City Chambers are asked to book online, HERE.
to view and make comments on the maquettes as part of the process of selecting a final design for the sculpture of Nelson Mandela. It will also be possible for people to make their views known via the NMSMF website.
