František Bělský (also known as Franta Belsky; 6 April 1921 – 5 July 2000) 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' Places * Czech, ...

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 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

and members of the British Royal Family.

Biography

He was born into a Jewish family in

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, in 1921, the son of the economist

Josef Bělský Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) Josef is the surname of the following people: * Jens Josef (born 1967), German composer of classical music, a flutist and academic teacher * Michelle Josef (born 1954), Canadian musician and tr ...

. 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 German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, and volunteered for the Czechoslovak Exile Army. He fought in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

as a gunner and was twice

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

, once for carving a memorial stone to Czechoslovak soldiers whilst stationed at

Cholmondeley, Cheshire Cholmondeley ( ) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cheshire, England, north east of Malpas, Cheshire, Malpas and west of Nantwich. It includes the small settlements of Croxton Green () and Dowse Green (), with a total population of ...

, 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 The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

. Five weeks later, the Czechoslovaks were presented in a

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

for ceremonial inspection by the then

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier 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. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

. 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 ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

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

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

. He studied under the sculptor

Otakar Španiel Otakar Španiel (13 June 1881 – 15 February 1955) was a Czech sculptor and engraver. Life and career Španiel was born on 13 June 1881 in Jaroměř. After primary education, he studied at the Engraving School in Jablonec nad Nisou and gr ...

at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Prague The Academy of Fine Arts, Prague ( cs, Akademie výtvarných umění v Praze; AVU) is an art college in Prague, Czech Republic. Founded in 1799, it is the oldest art college in the country. The school offers twelve master's degree programs and on ...

. While in Prague, he also designed a paratroop memorial, and a medal in honour of the Czech Olympic athlete

Emil Zátopek Emil Zátopek (; 19 September 1922 – 21 November 2000) was a Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final m ...

, 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 research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

, studying under

Frank Dobson Frank Gordon Dobson (15 March 1940 – 11 November 2019) was a British Labour Party politician. As Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St. Pancras from 1979 to 2015, he served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Health from 1997 ...

and

John Skeaping John Rattenbury Skeaping, RA (9 June 1901 – 5 March 1980) was an English sculptor and equine painter and sculptor. He designed animal figures for Wedgwood, and his life-size statue of Secretariat is exhibited at the National Museum of R ...

, graduating with an Honours Diploma in 1950. He received his first public commission for the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

in 1951. A number of commissions followed, and was awarded the medal for sculpture by the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

, 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 America’s National Churchill Museum (formerly the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library), is located on the Westminster College campus in Fulton, Missouri, United States. The museum commemorates Sir Winston Churchill, the former Prime Ministe ...

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

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 housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

. 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, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

, a bust of Admiral Cunningham unveiled in 1970. Belsky's statue of

Lord Louis Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of Germa ...

stands in

Horse Guards Parade Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London (at grid reference ). It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and the Beating Retreat. Hi ...

in London, and in the National Theatre is his statue of Lord Cottesloe. Belsky also designed the ''Torsion'' Fountain at the

Shell Centre The Shell Centre in London is the global headquarters of oil major Shell plc. It is located on Belvedere Road in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a prominent feature on the South Bank of the River Thames near County Hall, and now forms ...

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 Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames south of Abingdon-on-Thames and northwest of Didcot. Historically part of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since the 1974 boundary changes. The 201 ...

, 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 United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. Belsky was awarded the

Medal of Merit Several countries award a military or civil medal called Medal of Merit: * Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) * Medal of Merit (Denmark) * Medal of Merit of the Dominican Woman * Medal of Merit of the National People's Army (East Germany) * Medal o ...

by the then President of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel, in 1999. Among other honors Belsky won the

Otto Beit Medal The Royal Society of Sculptors is a British charity established in 1905 which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London. It ...

of the

Royal British Society of Sculptors The Royal Society of Sculptors is a British charity established in 1905 which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London. It ...

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 Irena Sedlecká (7 September 1928– 4 August 2020) was a Czech people, Czech sculpture, sculptor and Fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors. Sedlecká was born in Plzeň, Czechoslovakia. After training at the Academy of Fine Arts, P ...

Death and burial

Franta Belsky died in

Abingdon-on-Thames Abingdon-on-Thames ( ), commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames. Historic counties of England, Historically the ...

from

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

on 5 July 2000. He was buried in the churchyard of

All Saints' Church, Sutton Courtenay The Church of All Saints, Sutton Courtenay is the Church of England parish church of Sutton Courtenay, England (which lies in the traditional county of Berkshire, but since 1974 has been administered as if part of Oxfordshire). Extant since at le ...

Selected works

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

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

Andrew Browne Cunningham Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, (7 January 1883 – 12 June 1963) was a senior officer of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He was widely known by his initials, "ABC". 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 more formally 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 Jamestown Harbour is a low-density luxury housing development of 73 homes in Poplar in East London, situated between Poplar Dock and Blackwall Marina, and to the north of Wood Wharf. It is spread across three cul-de-sacs: Landons Close, Bridge ...

, 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 Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...

bottle. *''Kore'' (1949) *''Cock'' (1950) *''Pegasus Seated'' (1952) *''Constellation'',

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

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

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

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

, London (1959) *''Torsion'',

South Bank The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial district in central London, next to the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a narrow strip of riverside land within the London Borough of Lambeth (where it adjoins Alber ...

, London (1961) *

William Herschel Frederick William Herschel (; german: Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel; 15 November 1738 – 25 August 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer. He frequently collaborated with his younger sister and fellow astronomer Caroline H ...

Memorial, Observatory House,

Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...

(1969) *''Totem'', Arndale Centre, Manchester (1977) *''Lovers'' (1983) *''Leap'',

, London (1988) *Memorial to Czechoslovak paratroopers, Prague (1995) Portrait sculptures: *

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

(1952) *Ann Clegg (1958) *the wife of

Dimitrios Konstantinidis Dimitrios Konstantinidis (born 13 March 1933) is a Greek middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run ...

(1961) *

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

(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. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

(1975) *

Earl Mountbatten of Burma Earl Mountbatten of Burma is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 28 October 1947 for Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma. The letters patent creating the title specified the following r ...

, London (1983) *Sally Korda (1983) *

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

(1985) Five bronze

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places *Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazine ...

s 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 Irish-born British poet and Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudonym of Nicholas Bla ...

(1952) *

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

(1979) *

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 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. She was queen ...

(1981) *

Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...

(1984) * John Piper (1987)

References

*''Sculpture'', Franta Belsky (). *''The Churchill Papers'', The Churchill Centre.

External links

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