Josef Václav Myslbek

Josef Václav Myslbek ( born June 20, 1848 in Prague, † June 2, 1922 ) was a Czech sculptor.

Inspired by Gothic, Baroque, but also antiquity, he created works that reflect the political and cultural rise of the Czech nation for its national rebirth. His statues and groups of statues, among others, at the National Theatre in Prague, the Municipal House, located in the St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle, on the Palacký Bridge and Wenceslas Square.

Life

Myslbek came from a poor family and had to drop out of school for financial reasons. He learned the art of printing, but then switched to sculpture later on and worked in Prague and at times also in Vienna. In 1866 he met Václav Levý, the most famous Czech sculptor of the 19th century, and was familiar with his student until his death in 1870. From 1875 to 1896 he was a professor at the School of Art Prague and from 1896 to 1919 professor at the Academy of Arts in Prague.

Works

1873 Myslbek opened his own studio in Prague and modeled the male celebrities in busts, including the kneeling and praying Archbishop of Prague - Cardinal Schwarzenberg. At his best known work, the equestrian statue of the Czech patron saint Saint Wenceslas, he worked for almost 30 years. The statue was erected in 1912 at the upper end of Wenceslas Square at the National Museum and is considered one of the most valuable historical monuments of the city. Another well-known sculpture is the " music " ( hudba ), which is located in the foyer of the National Theatre.