THE man behind one of the North-East’s greatest landmarks is to be Knighted.

Antony Gormley was responsible for the Angel of The North, the country’s largest artwork, which overlooks the A1 at Gateshead.

The 20-metres tall statue, which was made from 200 tonnes of weathered steel and has a 54-metre wingspan, has become as iconic as the Tyne Bridge or Durham Cathedral since it was created in 1998.

Mr Gormley, 63, is one of the countrys most prominent artists whose other public works include Another Place, which consists of 100 cast-iron figures on a Merseyside beach looking out to sea.

Mr Gormley, who won the Turner Prize in 1994 and accepted an OBE in 1997, said he was happy to accept his latest honour.

He said: “I think its a good thing for sculpture and a recognition of the aspect of sculpture that is about a collective vision.

The sculptor, who grew up in London and was educated at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, said he felt the award was representative of a shift in the culture of the country.

He said: “We’ve realised we are rather good at making things that are not simply ships, planes or military equipment. This is something we can be proud of and take to other cultures.

“I think it’s a feeling that these sort of awards went to people, and of course still do, that have served the country in obvious ways - militarily, politically or industrially, and now they also go to people that have opened peoples minds, and this reflects that shift.”