In 2007, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1988), offered in the Contemporary Art South Asia: Indian, Pakistan by Sotheby's, which concluded on 21 September 2007 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹4,23,619 ($10,625). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Introduction
- Date of Birth
- 12 Mar 1954
- Zodiac sign
- Pisces
- Place of Birth
- Bombay, Maharashtra, India
- State Country of Birth
- Maharashtra, India
1973
- Hornsey College of Art, London, UK
1973 – 1977
1977
- Chelsea School of Art, London, UK
1977 – 1978
1979
- Taught at Wolverhampton Polytechnic, Wolverhampton, UK
1982
- Artist in Residence, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
1997
- Honorary Fellowship, Royal Institute of British Architecture, London, UK
Exhibitions
1974
- Art into Landscape 1, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
21 Sep 1974 to 20 Oct 1974
1975
- Young Contemporaries, Royal Academy of Art, London, UK
1978
- Northern Young Contemporaries, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, UK
1979
- Tolly Cobbold: Eastern Arts, 2nd National Exhibition, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK
- Whitechapel Open, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK
1980
- Anish Kapoor, Patrice Alexandre, Paris, France
- New Sculpture, Midland Group Gallery, Nottingham, UK
1981
- Anish Kapoor, Coracle Press, London, UK
03 Apr 1981 to 01 May 1981
- Objects & Sculpture: Richard Deacon, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Peter Randall-Page, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, UK
- Summer Show, Serpentie Gallery, London, UK
21 Sep 1981 to 11 Oct 1981
- British Sculpture in the 20th Century, Part -2: Symbol and Imagination 1951-80, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK
27 Nov 1981 to 24 Jan 1982
- Objects & Sculpture: Richard Deacon, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Peter Randall-Page, Institute of Contemporary Art, London, UK
- British Sculpture in the 20th Century: Part -1, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK
1982
- Lisson Gallery, London, UK
19 May 1982 to 12 Jun 1982
- Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
13 Mar 1982 to 18 Apr 1982
- Prefiguration, Centre d'Art Contemporain, Chambéry, France
- Englische Plastik Heute/British Sculpture Now, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Lucerne, Switzerland
- Aperto '82, XL Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
- XII Paris Biennale, Paris, France
02 Oct 1982 to 14 Nov 1982
- London / New York 1982, Lisson Gallery, London, UK
1980
- Anish Kapoor, Patrice Alexandre, Paris, France
1981
- Anish Kapoor, Coracle Press, London, UK
03 Apr 1981 to 01 May 1981
1982
- Lisson Gallery, London, UK
19 May 1982 to 12 Jun 1982
- Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
13 Mar 1982 to 18 Apr 1982
1983
- Patrice Alexandre, Paris, France
- Feeling into Form, Nouveau Musee, Villeurbanne/Lyon, France
20 May 1983 to 05 Jul 1983
- Lisson Gallery, London, UK
22 Oct 1983 to 19 Nov 1983
- Anish Kapoor: Beeldhouwwerken, Organised by the Rotterdam Arts Council, Galerie 't Venster, Rotterdam, Netherlands
21 Jan 1983 to 23 Feb 1983
- Feeling into Form, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK
16 Mar 1983 to 17 Apr 1983
1984
- Anish Kapoor, Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York, USA
03 Mar 1984 to 31 Mar 1984
1985
- Lisson Gallery, London, UK
04 Sep 1985 to 23 Sep 1985
- Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York, USA
- Anish Kapoor, Kunsthalle, Basel, Switzerland
06 Oct 1985 to 10 Nov 1985
1986
- Anish Kapoor, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, Norway
- Anish Kapoor, Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, Netherlands
03 May 1986 to 08 Jun 1986
- Anish Kapoor: Recent Sculpture and Drawings, University Gallery, Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
01 Nov 1986 to 14 Dec 1986
1987
- Anish Kapoor: Works on Paper, Museum of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia
- Anish Kapoor: Works on Paper, Ray Hughes Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1988
- Lisson Gallery, London, UK
11 Apr 1988 to 07 May 1988
1989
- Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York, USA
01 Apr 1989 to 29 Apr 1989
1974
- Art into Landscape 1, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
21 Sep 1974 to 20 Oct 1974
1975
- Young Contemporaries, Royal Academy of Art, London, UK
1978
- Northern Young Contemporaries, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, UK
1979
- Tolly Cobbold: Eastern Arts, 2nd National Exhibition, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK
- Whitechapel Open, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK
1980
- New Sculpture, Midland Group Gallery, Nottingham, UK
1981
- Objects & Sculpture: Richard Deacon, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Peter Randall-Page, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, UK
- Summer Show, Serpentie Gallery, London, UK
21 Sep 1981 to 11 Oct 1981
- British Sculpture in the 20th Century, Part -2: Symbol and Imagination 1951-80, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK
27 Nov 1981 to 24 Jan 1982
- Objects & Sculpture: Richard Deacon, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Peter Randall-Page, Institute of Contemporary Art, London, UK
- British Sculpture in the 20th Century: Part -1, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK
1982
- Prefiguration, Centre d'Art Contemporain, Chambéry, France
- Englische Plastik Heute/British Sculpture Now, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Lucerne, Switzerland
- Aperto '82, XL Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
- XII Paris Biennale, Paris, France
02 Oct 1982 to 14 Nov 1982
- London / New York 1982, Lisson Gallery, London, UK
- India: Myth and Reality, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, UK
- Objects and Figures: New Sculpture in Britain, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
1983
- The Sculpture Show, Organised by the Arts Council of Great Britain, Hayward gallery & Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
- Sculpture 1983, Van Krimpen Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
28 May 1983 to 25 Jun 1983
Chronicled Highlights 121988 – 2024
Anish Kapoor was born in 1954 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.
In 2008, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1990), offered in the Contemporary Art: Evening Auction by Sotheby's, which concluded on 17 October 2008 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹3,25,03,543 ($667,698). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
In 2009, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1997), offered in the Contemporary Art: Including Arab And Iranian Art by Sotheby's, which concluded on 16 October 2009 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹6,22,50,010 ($1,345,364). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
In 2007, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (2000), offered in the South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art by Christie's, which concluded on 20 September 2007 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹20,51,374 ($51,400). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
In music, light blue is like a flute, dark blue like a cello, and when still darker, it becomes a wonderful double bass. The deepest and most serene form of blue may be compared to the deep notes of an organ.
In 2009, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (2003), offered in the Contemporary Art by Sotheby's, which concluded on 18 March 2009 at Doha, achieving a sale price of ₹5,00,40,575 ($974,500). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Red is a colour of the earth, it\'s not a colour of deep space; it\'s obviously the colour of blood and body. I have a feeling that the darkness that it reveals is a much deeper and darker darkness than that of blue or black
In 2022, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (2011), offered in the Present Future by Asta Guru, which concluded on 23 September 2022 at Online, achieving a sale price of ₹6,95,58,792 ($859,636.69). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
In 2024, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (2012), offered in the Contemporary Indian Art by Asta Guru, which concluded on 09 April 2024 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹9,04,07,609 ($1,086,299.59). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Bronze is the mirror of form, wine of the heart.
In 2023, an artwork by Anish Kapoor was featured on the cover of Asta Guru: Present Future (September 2023, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.
In 2024, an artwork by Anish Kapoor was featured on the cover of Asta Guru: Contemporary Indian Art (April 2024, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.
Economics of Art
Record-high lots10
Public Auction Market (1987–2026) | Select Indicators
Annual Auction Sale Turnover
It aggregates all sales across global auction houses into yearly totals.
Analysis reflected in the chart:
The turnover graph highlights periods of strong growth, moments of market correction, and resilience during downturns. Peaks often align with landmark works coming to public auction, while troughs may indicate reduced supply or weaker demand. Over time, the curve illustrates the overall trajectory of Anish Kapoor’s public auction market presence.
Average Sale Price Per Lot
It smooths out fluctuations caused by the quantity of works offered and focuses on the Average Sale Price level per artwork.
Analysis reflected in the chart:
Rising average sale prices indicate growing collector confidence and a stronger willingness to pay higher amounts per work. Assuming the mix of mediums remains relatively stable over time, the proportion of works on paper typically priced lower than works on canvas adds important context to understanding these market movements.
Square Inch Rate Trend
This allows fair comparisons between smaller works and larger canvases.
Analysis reflected in the chart:
The Square Inch Rate shown in the graph combines various medium types such as canvas, paper, board, and others. Historically, works on canvas and board have broadly commanded higher prices compared to works on paper.
1990
- Awarded Premio Duemila at the Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
1991
- Turner Prize Award
2002
- Awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire
2004
- Winner of the British Memorial Garden Trust New York 9/11 commission
2013
- Padma Bhushan, Government of India
2017
- Conferred the title 'Knight Bachelor' for his services to the Arts
Research Centre
Related
19
Personalities
10
Institutions
8
Themes
1