Bohumil Kafka (14 February 1878 â 24 November 1942) was a Czech sculptor and pedagogue.
Life
Bohumil Kafka was born on 14 February 1878 in Nová Paka. 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. He died on 24 November 1942 in Prague.
Work
- Decoration of the National House in ProstÃÂjov and the VojáÃÂek family monument in front of it, 1905-1907
- Orpheus, bronze, 1922 (exhibited at Kozel Castle)
- The Kiss, bronze, 1919
- Statue of Karel HavlÃÂÃÂek Borovský, bronze, 1918-1924, HavlÃÂÃÂkÃ
¯v Brod
- Awakening, marble, 1925-26
- Statue of Josef Mánes in front of the Mánes Bridge, bronze
- Statue of Jan Ã
½iÃ
¾ka at the National Monument at VÃÂtkov
- Statue of General M. R. Ã
 tefánik in Bratislava (original destroyed in 1940, rebuilt after 1990; one-third scale copy stands in front of Ã
 tefánik's Observatory)
- Somnambula, bronze (National Gallery in Prague)
- Bust of TomáÃ
¡ Masaryk, bronze, 1925, (National Museum)
- Bust of JUDr. Karel KramáÃ
Â, bronze, plaster model (National Museum)
- Bust of FrantiÃ
¡ek Xaver Jerie, bronze (Jilemnice Town Hall)
Gallery
References
- Mackay, James, The Dictionary of Sculptors in Bronze, Antique Collectors Club, Woodbridge, Suffolk 1977
- MatÃÂjÃÂek, AntonÃÂn and ZdenÃÂk 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