Now living in Pietrasanta, Italy, sculptor Igor Mitoraj first studied painting in his native Poland, where he held his first solo exhibition in 1967. He continued his studies in Paris, moving there in 1968 to attend the National School of Art.

Mitoraj developed an interest in the art of Latin America, spending a year painting in Mexico in the early seventies. During this time he explored sculpture, working primarily in terracotta and bronze, and included it in his major, and successful, solo exhibition in 1976.

A trip to Carrara, Italy in 1979 convinced him to use marble as his primary medium. In 1983 he set up his studio in Pietrasanta, where he still lives. He exhibited extensively throughout Europe, North and South America since then, and received many large commissions including, amongst others, for the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Coca-Cola Foundation in the USA, and La Defense in Paris. In 1986 he was invited to participate in the Venice Biennale.

His work draws its inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome and appears newly excavated. Living in Italy, he is surrounded by the history of classicism. He references the effect of time on ancient relics in his own work; intended for outdoor installation the elements patinate the surfaces of his monuments. Inspired also by the discovery of artifacts, of buried treasure, his figures contain embedded objects, sometimes hidden, for the viewer to uncover. While Mitoraj continues to draw, his two dimensional work is entirely autonomous; his sculptures do not begin as designs in two dimensions.

The past 5 years have been highlighted by major city exhibitions including; Rome, Venice, Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and the Jardin de Tuileries in Paris. These outdoor exhibitions featuring his monumental works from his personal collection are documented in a series of beautiful books. Often the venues such as the Mercati of Traiano, in Rome are complementary to the nature of the work and the inspiration from which it is derived.