Anish Kapoor and his “The bean”

Anish Kapoor, a British-Indian sculptor born in Bombay, India, is one of the most important figures in contemporary British sculpture. Although he has been living and working in London, England, he integrates the traditional spirit of India with the essence of Western art tradition in his works, reflecting his deep understanding of both cultures. Millennium Park in Chicago has one of the largest outdoor stainless steel sculptures in the world—Cloud Gate, a very famous sculpture and a tourist attraction in Chicago, is his work.

Anish Kapoor

Anish Kapoor was born in Mumbai, India, in 1954. He currently lives in London and engages in art creation. As an artist with an Eastern background, Kapoor expresses a unique Eastern worldview through the use of materials with Eastern characteristics in his works.

The materials used in early works were inspired by pastel pigments, which have strong religious and blessing colors in India. These works are placed on the ground like the tip of an iceberg, expressing the artist’s emphasis on the worldview of “going inward and looking inward.” The creation is a metaphysical and supernatural exploration, involving metaphysical issues such as material and immaterial, existence and disappearance, space and non-space. The fusion of Indian philosophical and religious thinking, combined with the formal and conceptual expression of Western art, created this highly regarded artist.

The bean — Cloud Gate

Cloud Gate is made of highly polished stainless steel, the sculptural surface reflecting and distorting the activity and light of the surrounding park and city skyline. Designer Anish Kapoor said Cloud Gate was inspired by liquid mercury and the piece was selected in a design competition.

Cloud Gate weighs 110 tons and has 12-foot-tall arches that provide a “door” to an alcove beneath the sculpture. Visitors touch its mirrored surface and see their own images reflected back from different angles. When Cloud Gate was first built, it was affectionately called “The Bean” because of its appearance.

Cloud Gate is cut from 168 stainless steel plates using computer technology and welded together, giving it a highly polished appearance with no visible seams.