Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Cloud Gate
Artwork Specifications
- Medium
- Metal Sculpture, Sculpture
- Genre
- Conceptual
- Style
- Contemporary Sculpture, Minimalism
- Dimensions
- 1000 × 2000 × 1300 cm
Meet the artist
Anish Kapoor1954 · British“We live in a fractured world. I've always seen it as my role as an artist to attempt to make wholeness.”
Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate, affectionately known as "The Bean," is more than just a landmark in Chicago's Millennium Park – it's a living, breathing reflection of the city itself. Completed in 2006, this colossal sculpture, crafted from 168 seamless stainless steel plates, defies expectations. Its mercury-like surface bends and distorts the Chicago skyline, creating a surreal and ever-changing panorama.
Beyond its captivating exterior, Cloud Gate offers a unique interactive experience. A 3.7-meter arch allows visitors to walk underneath, leading to the "omphalos," or navel – a concave chamber that intensifies and warps reflections, producing a dizzying and unforgettable effect.