Igor Mitoraj — Eros Bendato

Eros Bendato — the Bound Eros — is perhaps the most iconic single image in Mitoraj's entire oeuvre. The motif of Eros, the Greek god of love, rendered as a bandaged and fragmentary figure, appears across sculpture, lithography, drawing, and monumental public installation. If you own any Eros Bendato work by Mitoraj, I am actively seeking to acquire it.

The Eros Bendato in Mitoraj's Work

The image of Eros emerged in Mitoraj's studio in the late 1980s and became a defining preoccupation throughout the 1990s. The figure appears in multiple scales: from small tabletop bronzes of 15–25 cm through to monumental works exceeding two metres, such as the celebrated Eros Bendato installed in St. Louis, Missouri. The unifying element across all scales is the treatment of the face — blindfolded or bandaged, a bound Eros who cannot see, whose power is at once vast and constrained.

The Eros Bendato also appeared extensively in Mitoraj's graphic work. Lithographs, etchings, and drawings depicting variations of the Eros theme were produced throughout the 1980s and 1990s, many in limited signed editions for galleries in Paris, Milan, and Warsaw.

Do You Own an Eros Bendato?

Whether you have a small bronze, a lithograph, a drawing, or any other Eros Bendato work by Mitoraj, I would like to hear from you. Scale and condition do not determine whether I am interested — I consider everything. Contact me with a photo and I will respond the same day.

Eros Bendato — The Most Internationally Famous Mitoraj

Of all the motifs in Mitoraj's repertoire, Eros Bendato — the Bound Eros — achieved the widest international recognition. The monumental bronze in Kraków's Main Market Square (Rynek Główny), gifted to the city by the artist in 2005, has become one of Poland's most photographed contemporary artworks. The work in St. Louis, Missouri — installed permanently in 1999 — brought Mitoraj to American public consciousness. Eros appears in galleries, public squares, corporate headquarters, and private collections across four continents.

The paradox at the heart of Eros Bendato gives it its power: Eros, the god of desire, love, and attraction — bound and blindfolded, unable to see or act. For Mitoraj, this was not a pessimistic image but a contemplative one: love constrained is love intensified, desire held in suspension. The blindfold that conceals the eyes is the same motif that runs through the Centurione and the Tête Secrète — but in Eros, it carries a specifically emotional charge.

Eros Bendato Editions — Sizes and Formats

The Eros Bendato was produced across a remarkably wide range of scales and formats, making it one of the most varied Mitoraj editions. Small table bronzes of 15–25 cm were produced in editions of 250–1000. Medium formats (30–60 cm) exist in smaller editions. Large formats (60–150 cm) were cast in very limited editions of 6–12 for institutional and corporate clients. The monumental format (150 cm and above) was unique or in editions of 1–3. Works on paper — lithographs, etchings, and charcoal drawings depicting Eros — add a further dimension. Prices range from for a small signed lithograph to over for large-scale bronzes.

What to Look for When Selling an Eros Bendato

The signature on genuine Eros Bendato bronzes appears incised (cut into the bronze surface, not cast with it) at the lower edge of the neck or torso base: MITORAJ in capitals. The edition number appears on the reverse in the format n/total. Foundry marks from Pietrasanta foundries appear on many examples. The subject — a blindfolded male head or truncated torso with bound or outstretched arms — should be immediately recognisable from published auction records. If you own an Eros Bendato in any format, send me a photograph: I will identify the specific edition, estimate its current market value, and make an offer if you wish to sell.

See also: Mitoraj Centurione · Tête Secrète · Mitoraj lithographs & drawings · Mitoraj auction prices