Bohumil Kafka

Bohumil Kafka (14 February 1878 in Nová Paka – 24 November 1942 in Prague) was a Czech sculptor and pedagogue.

Bohumil Kafka
Bohumil Kafka
Born	(1878-02-14)14 February 1878 Nová Paka, Bohemia, Austro-Hungarian Empire
Died	24 November 1942(1942-11-24) (aged 64) Prague, Bohemia and Moravia
Nationality	Czech
Alma mater	Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague
Occupation(s)	sculptor and pedagogue

He studied in Prague with sculptor Josef Václav Myslbek before moving to Vienna and then Paris to continue his studies. He worked in London, Berlin and Rome before returning and settling in Prague. He frequently worked in an Expressive symbolist style, was a noted animalier as well as being known for his decorative sculpture. He was considered a predecessor to the Art Nouveau style and was highly influenced by the works of Auguste Rodin.

Work

• Decoration of the National House in Prostějov and the Vojáček family monument in front of it, 1905-1907
• Orpheus, bronze, 1922 (exhibited at Kozel Castle)
• The Kiss, bronze, 1919
• Statue of Karel Havlíček Borovský, bronze, 1918-1924, Havlíčkův Brod
• Awakening, marble, 1925-26
• Statue of Josef Mánes in front of the Mánes Bridge, bronze
• Statue of Jan Žižka at the National Monument at Vítkov
• Statue of General M. R. Štefánik in Bratislava (original destroyed in 1940, rebuilt after 1990; one-third scale copy stands in front of Štefánik's Observatory)
• Somnambula, bronze (National Gallery in Prague)
• Bust of Tomáš Masaryk, bronze, 1925, (National Museum)
• Bust of JUDr. Karel Kramář, bronze, plaster model (National Museum)
• Bust of František Xaver Jerie, bronze (Jilemnice Town Hall)

Gallery

•  
  Mummy
•  
  Orpheus
•  
  Ruin of Life
•  
  Crouching Woman
•  
  Equestrian statue of Jan Žižka on Vítkov Hill in Prague
•  
  Statue of Milan Rastislav Štefánik at the Prague Observatory
•  
  Statue of Josef Mánes
•  
  Vojáček family monument in front of the National House in Prostějov
•  
  Statue of Karel Havlíček Borovský in Havlíčkův Brod

References

• Mackay, James, The Dictionary of Sculptors in Bronze, Antique Collectors Club, Woodbridge, Suffolk 1977
• Matějček, Antonín and Zdeněk Wirth, Modern and Contemporary Czech Art, George Routledge & Sons, Ltd. London, 1924
• Pavitt, Jane, Prague; The Buildings of Europe, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 2000

External links

• Art Facts^{[permanent dead link]} - brief biography
• Radio Prague - extensive biography (in Czech)
• More Information 2014-05-12 at the Wayback Machine (in Czech)
• Bohumil Kafka:Jan Zizka monument

 

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