Chicago has re-opened Anish Kapoor's famous sculpture, Cloud Gate-nicknamed The Bean-after nearly a year of construction.
Located at the Grainger Plaza of Chicago's Millennium Park, where it serves as the centerpiece, The Bean was mostly fenced off from tourists last August as part of a larger construction and renovation project for the 20th anniversary of Millennium Park. Construction was led by the Chicago Department of Fleet and Facility Management.
include "new stairs, accessible ramps, paver replacement, a waterproofing system and accessibility upgrades to Grainger Plaza." Landscaping improvements will continue around the Plaza in the coming months, but will not restrict access to Kapoor's sculpture.
The Bean's reopening was initially scheduled for April, but had to be moved to the end of June.
Kapoor's design for The Bean was the winner of a competition. Although some experts believed the design was untenable, the exhibit was opened in full in 2006, after it was unveiled in incomplete form two years pior. The sculpture is made up of 168 steel pipes welded together into its now-famous bean shape, measures 33 feet high and 66 feet long, and weighs 100 tons. Its highly reflective surface, inspired by liquid mercury, has made it popular for tourist selfies. City officials referenced this in an annoncement, saying: "Visitors can once again have full access to Chicago's iconic Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor. Come back and get your #selfie!
The Bean's reopening comes ahead of Millennium Park's 20th anniversary celebrations, scheduled to kick off on July 18.
