The Bank of England is looking to replace Adam Smith with a British visual artist on its £20 note. One of the leading candidates to be featured on the currency is the late, great designer Alexander McQueen, according to British Vogue.
The public will help decide the face of the new £20 note. Victoria Cleland, the Bank's chief cashier, will visit schools and head up focus groups to narrow down the candidates. The bank's governor, Mark Carney, will make the final decision and has already requested the public to look past "the most famous and the most obvious," he said in the announcement, The Guardian reports. "There are a wealth of individuals within the field of visual arts whose work shaped British thought, innovation, leadership, values and society and who continue to inspire people today," Carney said. "I greatly look forward to hearing from the public who they would like to celebrate"
According to early oddsmakers at Ladbrokes, McQueen is one of the leading candidates with 8-1 odds. He is only slightly behind favorites William Hogarth, a painter, and the actor and director Richard Attenborough, who both sit at 4-1, according to Business Insider. Other notable considerations include the painter John Constable and Francis Bacon, who until just recently held the record for most expensive painting sold in auction.
McQueen should have a strong chance with the public, who can experience McQueen in multiple mediums right now. The blockbuster exhibit "Savage Beauty" is currently at the Victoria & Albert museum, where Carney made this announcement, and a play about one of the designer's show recently premiered in London.
And, just in case you were wondering, here's what Britain's £20 note currently looks like:
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