JOIN USBritish Indian artist Anish Kapoor has threatened legal action after the appearance of a sculpture in China which he claims is "blatant plagiarism" of his famous steel sculpture 'Cloud Gate' in Chicago.
The artist claimed that a new installation unveiled at Karamay in the Xinjiang region of China is a copy of his sculpture Cloud Gate, which is a Chicago landmark and major tourist attraction in the city's Millennium Park since 2006.
"It seems that in China today it is permissible to steal the creativity of others," Kapoor said in a statement.
"I feel I must take this to the highest level and pursue those responsible in the courts. I hope that the Mayor of Chicago will join me in this action. The Chinese authorities must act to stop this kind of infringement and allow the full enforcement of copyright," he said.
The representatives of the artist said he was shocked at the "blatant plagiarism" of his sculpture.
His sculpture, nicknamed 'The Bean', reflects Chicago's dramatic skyline and featured prominently in 'Source Code', a 2011 thriller starring Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal.
However, an employee of Karamay's tourism bureau has denied that the Chinese sculpture was a copy of Kapoor's, insisting any similarities were coincidental.
"While we use similar materials, the shapes and meanings are different. Cloud Gate intends to reflect the sky, but ours reflects the ground," Ma Jun told the 'Wall Street Journal'.
Mumbai-born and London-based Sir Anish, who was knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in 2013, is one of the world's most well-known sculptors.
His UK works include the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower at London's Olympic Park and the Sky Mirror in Nottingham.
His most recent work is titled 'Dirty Corner', a 200-feet steel tube in the gardens of France's Palace of Versailles, which has caused controversy and been the target of vandalism after it was described as the "queen’s vagina".