Sir Anish Kapoor (Born to a Baghdadi Jewish mother and an Indian Punjabi Hindu father) (born 1954) is one of the most influential and widely recognized sculptors of his generation, celebrated for his monumental, immersive, and often mind-bending public artworks. Born in Mumbai, he briefly lived in Israel before moving to London in the 1970s to study at the Hornsey College of Art and the Chelsea School of Art, establishing his permanent studio in the city.
Kapoor first gained international prominence in the early 1980s. His early breakthrough works featured geometric and biomorphic shapes covered in intensely colored, raw powdered pigments, inspired by the mounds of vibrant spices found in Indian markets. These works aimed to make the physical object look as though it were made of pure color, creating an illusion of depth and void—a theme that would dominate his entire career.
He is perhaps most famous globally for his large-scale installations made of highly polished, reflective stainless steel. His undisputed masterpiece in this medium is Cloud Gate (2006)—affectionately known as “The Bean”—located in Millennium Park, Chicago. The massive, seamless sculpture reflects and distorts the city skyline and the viewers walking beneath it. Other monumental works include the Sky Mirror series and the towering ArcelorMittal Orbit, an observation tower designed for the 2012 London Olympics.
Kapoor’s art continually explores metaphysical dualities: earth and sky, presence and absence, light and darkness. In 2014, he sparked massive debate in the art world by acquiring the exclusive artistic rights to Vantablack, a high-tech material that absorbs 99.96% of visible light, allowing him to create sculptures that look like literal, endless voids.
Over his career, he has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Turner Prize in 1991. In 2013, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the visual arts.
Active in others filds : Architectural Collaboration (e.g., ArcelorMittal Orbit), Stage and Set Design (for opera and contemporary dance).
