Igor Mitoraj, born on 26 March 1944 in Oederan, Germany and died on 6 October 2014 in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. He is considered one of the most internationally recognized Polish sculptors.

The major theme of Igor Mitoraj's work is the human body, its beauty and fragility. His work is part of a resolutely postmodernist approach inspired by ancient statuary, in particular its ideal proportions. However, the artist reminds the public of his human nature and imperfection. His sculptures are deliberately fragmented, wounded or flayed and are sometimes even nailed to the floor.

He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow where he was a student of Tadeusz Kantor. Since 1968 he has lived in France and Italy. In the early 1970s, fascinated by pre-Columbian art, he left for Mexico where he began to sculpt. He returned to Europe in 1974 and, in 1976, exhibited his work in Paris at the La Hune gallery.

In 1979, he went to Carrara in Tuscany where he began to use marble as his main medium, while continuing to work in terracotta and bronze. In 1983, he set up his studio in Pietrasanta. Igor Mitoraj is considered one of the most eminent contemporary artists. Some of his sculptures, often of great size, are exhibited outdoors in many cities in Europe, the United States and Japan.