Portrait of a Man ("Portrait d'homme") is a sculpture by Igor Mitoraj, dated 1984.
- Dimensions: height (with base) 14 cm, width 6.5 cm, depth 5 cm.
- Weight: less than 1 kg.
- Material: patinated bronze.
- Signature: p.d. (right bottom) "Mitoraj".
Igor Mitoraj (actually Jerzy Makina, then Jerzy Mitoraj; born March 26, 1944 in Oederan, Germany, died October 6, 2014 in Paris) is a Polish sculptor who has worked in exile since 1968, mainly in France and Italy. The artist is known for his monumental sculptures in the classicist style, depicting damaged human bodies, which has become his trademark.
His works refer to the human body in a state of fragility, often exploring mythological themes. Mitoraj depicted mythical figures such as Icarus, Tyndareus, Centaur, Eros, Mars or Gorgons, accentuating their frailty through fragmentation, cracks, deliberate damage to the surface of the sculptures, and sometimes by symbolically "knocking" them to the ground. This artistic procedure caused controversy, and some critics wondered whether his work verged on kitsch.
Mitoraj won recognition especially in Western Europe. He shared his life between Paris and Pietrasanta, Italy, where he had his studio since 1983.
He died on October 6, 2014 in Paris, and was buried in the Pietrasanta cemetery.
