Page 46 - Present-Future-September-2023

Lot No. 31

ANISH KAPOOR
b. 1954
UNTITLED
54.7 x 54.7 x 13.8 in (138.9 x 138.9 x 35.1 cm)
Lacquered bronze mirror
2013

` 3,32,00,000 – 4,98,00,000
$ 400,000 - 600,000

Born in Mumbai, India, in 1954, Anish Kapoor is
one of the foremost sculptors of our time. He
studied art in the UK, graduating with a BFA from
Hornsey College of Art and an MFA from Chelsea
School of Art and Design. Best known for his
awe-inspiring public installations, he also creates
smaller-scale sculptures that make the pieces
more intimate. Among his most well-known
commissioned public installations is Cloud Gate,
situated in Millenium Park in Chicago. Inspired by
liquid mercury, the bean-like sculpture is made of
a highly reflective surface that distorts the park Side view
itself, its viewers and the Chicago skyline. Other
large-scale sculptures by Anish Kapoor include
Marsyas and a recently unveiled successor to
Cloud Gate in New York City.

His most notable series is that of mirror-esque
stainless steel discs. Kapoor began creating
them in the late 1990s and has created a plethora
of reflective discs since. The architectural pieces
are known for creating distortions in what they
reflect while creating a seamless view. The
differing treatments and finishes of the discs
create unique warps in the reflection, making
each piece from the series unique in itself. The
viewers’ images are manipulated through these
discs, often bent and flipped over, encouraging
engagement with the sculptures and pushing
the viewers to introspect and contemplate
their image. The concave discs are evidence
of the artist’s enduring fascination with not
only reflective pieces but also optics, space
and perspective. They are an exploration of
his interest in the metaphysical, which then
translates to subversive works such as the
presented lot that exhibits the more playful side
of art.