Igor Mitoraj, one of Poland’s most famous contemporary artists, died today, Oct. 5th, 2014, in Paris, at the age of 70.

Born in Oederan, Germany in 1944, the son of a Polish mother and a French father, Mitoraj is perhaps best known for his monumental public creations, many featuring fragmented body parts. His sculptures have been displayed in prominent locations around the world, including Poland, Germany, Britain, France and Italy. They are in London’s British Museum, Canary Wharf, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, as well as the world famous ruins of Agrigento, Sicily.

Igor Mitoraj studied painting at the Krakow Academy of Art under Tadeusz Kantor. Soon after graduating, he moved to Paris in 1968 to continue his studies at the National School of Art and lived several years. Having previously worked with terracotta and bronze, a trip to Carrara, Italy, in 1979 turned him to using marble as his primary medium and setting up in 1983 a studio in Pietrasanta.

This bronze body part’s sculpture in the western corner of the market square of Krakow, is titled "Eros Bendato" (Eros Bound).