Once more in the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento, the gigantic sculptures of Igor Mitoraj stand among the ancient remains of classical civilization, a setting with an aesthetic and emotional impact--a fascinating dialogue between past and present with new disquieting impressions of estrangement.

IGOR MITORAJ was born in Olderan, Germany, from Polish parents. He had a classical painting education at the Krakow Art School and at the Krakow Academy of Fine Art. In 1968, he came to Paris to follow his own studies at the National School of Fine Arts where he approached painting. After a two-year journey in South America, he sculpted for the first time, and his first solo sculpture exhibition was held at the Galerie la Hune in Paris in 1976. He then opened a sculpture workshop in Paris and traveled to New York and Greece where he studied classic sculpture. In 1979, he visited Carrara in Italy and decided that marble was the perfect material for his sculptures. Since the opening of his workshop in Carrara in 1983, he has split his time between Italy and Paris.

MARIO CIAMPI has been a photographer of architecture for many years. His complete mastery of the technique and his sophisticated, penetrating eye make his depictions of interiors an experience beyond photographic representation, placing his work in the vein of interior depictions in painting traditions. He has contributed to more than 50 books on the subject.