Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor has unveiled his first public artwork in New York City, created at 56 Leonard Street, where a building designed by archistars Herzog & de Meuron stands.
It is a new version of “The Bean” (real name is Cloud Gate), an iconic sculpture on the Chicago skyline, and positioned centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park. The form that earned the nickname “the Bean” is in this case wedged under the building, creating a contrast between the reflective aluminum and the concrete of the building, in which Kapoor himself purchased an apartment.

Begun in 2019, work on the sculpture suffered several interruptions, caused by COVID and the artist’s quest to achieve the perfect surface. Kapoor did not want the welds of the 38 panels that make up the work to be visible, a problem that was later compounded by structural problems that caused the outer layer to crack due to temperature changes.
In addition to the artist’s recognizable signature, the new work, which New Yorkers will be able to experience, is intended to make the city’s landscape stand out precisely because of its ability to reflect and change the perception of our surroundings, and also of those who will want to mirror themselves within the work. Anish Kapoor breaks the monotony of the landscape and the experience of a commute unified by the large buildings of the Tribeca neighborhood.


