Igor Mitoraj
Igor Mitoraj was born in 1944 in Oederan, Germany, and passed away in 2014 in Paris. In the 1960s, he pursued his studies in painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, under the tutelage of Tadeusz Kantor, among others. He furthered his education over the following two years at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. From the mid-1970s, he dedicated himself to sculpture, producing intimate heads and torsos distinguished by their unique wrappings and bandages. His inaugural solo exhibition in Paris in 1976 garnered acclaim from both the public and art dealers. Through his work, he engaged with the traditions of antiquity, viewing its heritage as remnants of a cultural golden age and as eternal templates. He is regarded as one of the most significant contemporary artistic figures. His sculptures, frequently of immense proportions, are displayed in prominent locations across numerous cities in Europe, the United States, and Japan. Among his creations are the caryatid of the Police Prefecture in Paris, a fountain in Milan, a monument in Piazza Mignanelli in Rome, and a sculpture beneath the Town Hall Tower in the Main Market Square in Krakow.