Bohumil Kafka (14 February 1878 in Nová Paka – 24 November 1942 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

sculptor and

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

. He studied in

with sculptor Josef Václav Myslbek before moving to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

and then

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

to continue his studies. He worked in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

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before returning and settling in Prague. He frequently worked in an Expressive symbolist style, was a noted

animalier An animalier (, ) is an artist, mainly from the 19th century, who specializes in, or is known for, skill in the realistic portrayal of animals. "Animal painter" is the more general term for earlier artists. Although the work may be in any genre ...

as well as being known for his decorative sculpture. He was considered a predecessor to the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style and was highly influenced by the works of

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

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 Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha (; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czechs, Czech military leader and Knight who was a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus, and a prominent Radical Hussite who led the Taborites, Taborite faction during the Hu ...

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 Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (7 March 185014 September 1937) was a Czechoslovaks, Czechoslovak statesman, political activist and philosopher who served as the first List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 191 ...

, bronze, 1925, (National Museum) * Bust of JUDr. Karel Kramář, bronze, plaster model (National Museum) * Bust of František Xaver Jerie, bronze (Jilemnice Town Hall)

Gallery

Bohumil Kafka, Mummy, 1904.jpg, Mummy Orpheus, statue by Bohumil Kafka.png, Orpheus Bohumil Kafka, Ruin of Life, 1902.jpg, Ruin of Life Crouching Woman, statue by Bohumil Kafka.jpg, Crouching Woman Jan Zizka Vitkov Prague CZ 007.jpg, Equestrian statue of

on Vítkov Hill in Prague Stefanik statue Observatory Prague CZ 01.JPG, Statue of Milan Rastislav Štefánik at the Prague Observatory Statue Josef Mánes Prague 1.jpg, Statue of Josef Mánes Pomník manželů Vojáčkových (Prostějov).jpg, Vojáček family monument in front of the National House in Prostějov Havlíček na pomníku.JPG, 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
- brief biography
Radio Prague
- extensive biography
More Information

Bohumil Kafka:Jan Zizka monument
1878 births 1942 deaths Czech male sculptors 20th-century Czech sculptors 20th-century male artists People from Nová Paka Czechoslovak sculptors Sculptors from Austria-Hungary Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague alumni {{CzechRepublic-sculptor-stub