František Bělský (as artist used the name Franta Belsky; in Czech Franta Bělský, 6 April 1921 – 5 July 2000) was a Czech-British

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. He was known for large-scale abstract works of

public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...

as well as more iconographic statues and busts of noted 20th-century figures such as

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

and members of the

British Royal Family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

Biography

He was born in

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, in 1921, the son of the economist Josef Bělský. His family stemmed originally from the village of Bělá, hence the toponymic surname Bělský. With his family, he fled to the United Kingdom after the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, and volunteered for the Czechoslovak Exile Army. He fought in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

as a gunner and was twice mentioned in dispatches, once for carving a memorial stone to Czechoslovak soldiers whilst stationed at Cholmondeley, Cheshire, and again in 1944 when he was awarded the Czech bravery award for repairing a telephone line in France while under enemy fire. In 1940, the Czechoslovak Exile Army was evacuated to Britain along with other Allied forces in the Dunkirk evacuation. Five weeks later, the Czechoslovaks were presented in a

military parade A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...

for ceremonial inspection by the then

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. Belsky recalled that Churchill stopped in front him, leaning on his walking stick with his chin thrust out, holding his hat in his hand, and looked Belsky in the eye for a prolonged time. Under Churchill's gaze, Belsky thought, "You wait, one day I shall model a statue of you, just like this".

Career

Belsky was demobbed and returned to

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 ...

after the war, where he found that many of his relations were murdered in

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. He studied under the sculptor Otakar Španiel at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague. While in Prague, he also designed a paratroop memorial, and a medal in honour of the Czech Olympic athlete Emil Zátopek, before fleeing again to escape the Communist takeover in 1948. Belsky continued his studies at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

, studying under Frank Dobson and John Skeaping, graduating with an Honours Diploma in 1950. He received his first public commission for the Festival of Britain in 1951. A number of commissions followed, and was awarded the medal for sculpture by the Paris Salon, winning bronze in 1955 and silver in 1956. His work included not only traditional statues and busts, but also large-scale more abstract works. He produced a number of statues of

; his 1969 statue at the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, Missouri, ...

was commissioned to mark the 25th anniversary of Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech. Belsky's royal busts are in the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

. Belsky was the first foreign-born sculptor to create a work for

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

, a bust of Admiral Cunningham unveiled in 1970. Belsky's statue of Lord Louis Mountbatten stands in

Horse Guards Parade Horse Guards Parade is a large Military parade, parade ground off Whitehall in central London (at British national grid reference system, grid reference ). It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the K ...

in London, and in the National Theatre is his statue of Lord Cottesloe. Belsky also designed the ''Torsion'' Fountain at the Shell Centre in London and the ''Totem'' sculpture which was erected in 1977 in the Arndale Centre, Manchester. His studio was at his cottage in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire. In 1990, Belsky returned to Prague and worked on two monumental works, a statue of Winston Churchill outside the British Embassy and a memorial to Czechoslovaks who had served with the British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. Belsky was awarded the Medal of Merit by the then

President of Czechoslovakia The president of Czechoslovakia (, ) was the head of state of Czechoslovakia, from the Origins of Czechoslovakia, creation of the First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 until the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia, dissolution of the Czech and Slovak F ...

, Vaclav Havel, in 1999. Among other honors Belsky won the Otto Beit Medal of the Royal British Society of Sculptors in 1976 for excellence in sculpture.

Personal life

In 1944, he married Margaret Owen the newspaper cartoonist, who signed her own work ''Belsky''. After her death in 1989, in 1996 he remarried fellow sculptor Irena Sedlecká.

Death and burial

Franta Belsky died in Abingdon-on-Thames from

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

on 5 July 2000. He was buried in the churchyard of All Saints' Church, Sutton Courtenay.

Selected works

File:Statue of the Earl Mountbatten, London.jpg, Statue of Lord Louis Mountbatten,

, London Image:Andrew Browne Cunningham - Bronze bust at Trafalger Square - London - 240404.jpg, Bust of Andrew Browne Cunningham,

, London (1967) File:Triga by Franta Belsky, One Knightsbridge Green.jpg, ''Triga'' on

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

, London File:Sir Winston Churchill's sculpture in Prague (1).jpg, Bust of Winston Churchill,

Malá Strana Malá Strana ( Czech for "Little Side (of the River)", ) or historically Menší Město pražské () is a district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic, and one of its most historic neighbourhoods. In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant center o ...

, Prague File:Joy Ride (5660302683) (2).jpg, ''Joy Ride'', Stevenage File:Sculpture near Waterloo.jpg, ''Torsion'', Waterloo, London (1957) File:The Arndale Centre (geograph 2120789).jpg, ''Totem'', Arndale Centre, Manchester (1977) File:Leap - Franta Belsky 1.jpg, ''Leap'', Jamestown Harbour, London (1989) File:Prague Praha 2014 Holmstad memorial plakett at St. Kyrillos and St. Methodios - kirken - church Minneplakett fra 2 verdenskrig.jpg, Memorial plaque to Czechoslovak paratroopers, Prague (1995) File:The Lesson Franta Belsky Turin Street E2 6BL.jpg, The Lesson, Bethnal Green (1956) Belsky was prolific sculptor and his works are held by local authority collections across Britain, corporate offices and collections in the United States and Europe. His trademark trick was to hide inside his sculptures a newspaper front page, a coin of that year and a signed note inside a Guinness bottle. * ''Kore'' (1949) * ''Cock'' (1950) * ''Pegasus Seated'' (1952) * ''Constellation'',

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

(1953) * ''Girl'' (1955) * ''Tigra'',

, London (1958) * ''The Lesson'',

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

, London (1959) * ''Torsion'', Shell Centre, South Bank, London (1961) *

William Herschel Frederick William Herschel ( ; ; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel. Born in the Electorate of Hanover ...

Memorial, Observatory House,

Slough Slough () is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2021, the ...

(1969) * ''Totem'', Arndale Centre, Manchester (1977) * ''Lovers'' (1983) * ''Leap'', Jamestown Harbour, London (1988) * Memorial to Czechoslovak paratroopers, Prague (1995) Portrait sculptures: *

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

(1952) * Ann Clegg (1958) * the wife of Dimitrios Konstantinidis (1961) * Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1962) *

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

(1975) * Earl Mountbatten of Burma,

, London (1983) * Sally Korda (1983) * Prince William (1985) Five bronze busts by Belsky are held in the

: *

Cecil Day-Lewis Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an Anglo-Irish poet and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudony ...

(1952) *

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

(1979) *

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

(1981) * Prince Andrew, Duke of York (1984) * John Piper (1987)

References

* ''Sculpture'', Franta Belsky (). * ''Portrétoval anglickou královnu: Franta Bělský, česko-britský příběh 20. století''. (). https://argo.cz/foreign-rights/bohumil-vostal/ * ''The Churchill Papers'', The Churchill Centre. * “Everything started with the Queen Mother”
How sculptor Bělský found unparalleled success in UK
Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belsky, Franta 1921 births 2000 deaths Czech male sculptors 20th-century Czech sculptors Czechoslovak military personnel of World War II Czech abstract sculptors British abstract sculptors World War II artists Artists from Brno Deaths from prostate cancer Alumni of the Royal College of Art Academy of Fine Arts in Prague alumni Deaths from cancer in England Czechoslovak emigrants to the United Kingdom Czech people of Jewish descent Military personnel from Brno