We Bet You Will Look Twice at The Bean Designed by Anish Kapoor

Cloud Gate, commonly known as The Bean, is one of Chicago’s most popular attractions. The massive piece of art anchors downtown Millennium Park. It reflects the city’s famed skyline as well as the surrounding green space. With this new interactive, AI-powered tool, The Bean can even help you plan your vacation to Chicago.

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What is The Bean?

The Bean, in the heart of Chicago, is a piece of public art. Cloud Gate is one of the largest permanent outdoor art pieces in the world. The huge installation debuted in 2004 and quickly became one of Chicago’s most recognizable monuments.

Millennium Park, a lakeside park in the Chicago Loop, houses the Bean. It is at 11 N. Michigan Ave., above the McCormick Tribune Plaza, close behind the Park Grill Restaurant. If you’re strolling along Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Monroe, you can’t miss it.

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What is the meaning of the Bean?

The liquid mercury inspired Anish Kapoor, and he designed the Bean’s gleaming surface accordingly. This sparkling façade reflects the park’s visitors, Michigan Avenue’s lights, and the surrounding cityscape and open space. It perfectly encapsulates the Millennium Park experience. People may also touch the shiny surface and see their own reflection. These are the things that make it attractive.

The reflection of the sky above the park, as well as the curving underside of The Bean, led Anish Kapoor to name it Cloud Gate.

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About the Designer 

Anish Kapoor, an internationally recognized artist, designed it. The Indian-born British artist was already well-known for his large-scale outdoor sculptures, some of which had highly shiny surfaces. Cloud Gate is widely regarded as his most renowned permanent outdoor work in the United States. Since 1997, the artist has won many awards such as  Turner Prize,  Genesis Prize, and so on.

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