Josef
Václav Myslbek (20 June 1848–2 June 1922), a leading figure of
nineteenth-century Czech sculpture and a teacher at both the School of
Decorative Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, died one hundred years
ago. The graduates of his studios included a number of prominent sculptors,
such as Stanislav Sucharda, Josef Mařatka, Bohumil Kafka, Jan Štursa, Otakar
Španiel, and Karel Pokorný. After Myslbek’s death, the Czechoslovak government
purchased his extensive estate of sculpted works and archives, which are now a
part of the National Gallery Prague’s collections and archive.
There is no doubt that Myslbek’s most famous work is the monument to Saint Wenceslas that stands in Prague’s Wenceslas Square. Myslbek first began focusing on the sculpture of the patron saint of the Czech Lands in 1886. Eight years later, he won the competition to create a monument to this saint. The quest for the final appearance, the modelling, and the casting of the individual parts took another thirty years, and the final work was not completed until three years after the artist’s death. Myslbek’s studies for the monument, as well as the competing design submitted by Bohuslav Schnirch, may be seen at the exhibition 1796–1918: Art of the Long Century at the Trade Fair Palace.
There is no doubt that Myslbek’s most famous work is the monument to Saint Wenceslas that stands in Prague’s Wenceslas Square. Myslbek first began focusing on the sculpture of the patron saint of the Czech Lands in 1886. Eight years later, he won the competition to create a monument to this saint. The quest for the final appearance, the modelling, and the casting of the individual parts took another thirty years, and the final work was not completed until three years after the artist’s death. Myslbek’s studies for the monument, as well as the competing design submitted by Bohuslav Schnirch, may be seen at the exhibition 1796–1918: Art of the Long Century at the Trade Fair Palace.
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