Sir Anish Kapoor CBE RA is widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential contemporary artists of his generation. Celebrated for his commanding sculptural installations and conceptually rich practice, Kapoor’s work explores profound dualities, presence and absence, material and immaterial, light and shadow with an enduring fascination for form, space and perception.
Born in Mumbai in 1954, Kapoor turned to art in 1973, leaving behind studies in Israel to attend Hornsey College of Art, followed by postgraduate training at the Chelsea School of Art and Design in London. By the 1980s, he had risen to prominence as a leading figure in British sculpture, known for his evocative use of colour, scale and symbolic geometry. His early works, often composed of raw pigment and carved forms, were deeply rooted in metaphysical themes and spiritual contrast.
From the 1990s onwards, Kapoor became internationally recognised for his ambitious, large-scale sculptures made in polished steel and mirrored surfaces, materials that invite reflection, both literal and philosophical. Among his most iconic public commissions are Cloud Gate (2004), the monumental stainless-steel form in Chicago’s Millennium Park; ArcelorMittal Orbit (2012), the twisting red tower created for London’s Olympic Park; and Leviathan (2011), a vast inflatable installation that filled the nave of the Grand Palais in Paris.
Kapoor’s work is held in major public and private collections worldwide, and his contribution to contemporary art has been recognised with numerous honours, including a Turner Prize (1991), a Knighthood (2013) and election as a Royal Academician.
