There are many different monuments and sculptures in Krakow, but perhaps none has caused as much controversy as the work set up in the Main Square under the Town Hall tower – Eros bendato. The so-called Mitoraj’s Head, which has been standing in Krakow’s Market Square for years, was controversial from the start. Not everyone liked its placement on the Market Square. Where was Igor Mitoraj’s sculpture supposed to stand in Krakow? Where is one of the most popular „instagram spots in Krakow”?
Igor Mitoraj’s sculpture Eros bendato stands near the Town Hall Tower in Krakow’s Main Square. Cast in bronze, Mitoraj’s giant head arrived in Krakow in 2005. The sculpture weighs 1,900 kilograms, is 370 cm long, 290 cm wide and 225 cm high. The sculptor prepared it in 1999 in three copies.
The head standing in Krakow’s Market Square is not unique as the sculpture was made in triplicate. Initially, one went to Lugano, another to Krakow and the third remained in the hands of the artist who died in 2014. The sculpture, given to the city of Krakow, was placed on the edge of one of the most representative squares in Europe.
Initially, the location was intended to be only temporary. The placement of the head in the Market Square was the subject of lively debate. The aesthetic qualities of the sculpture were criticised by some artistic and architectural circles, who balked at placing it elsewhere.
The square in front of Krakow’s old railway station, which was undergoing renovation at the time, or the square in front of the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre were suggested. The artist himself argued that the location should be the Main Market Square in Krakow or the square in front of the theatre. Efforts to move the bronze block to another location failed miserably.
The sculpture has been standing in the Market Square for years and there is no sign of it being moved anywhere. Especially since the author of Eros died on 6 October 2014 in Paris. The sculpture has already managed to grow into the Krakow landscape and become one of the most photographed landmarks in Krakow.
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