Statue

Bartok statue

Erection date: 2/10/2004

Inscription

{On the front of the marble plinth:}
Erected by the Peter Warlock Society in conjunction with the Hungarian Cultural Centre.
The English composer Peter Warlock was instrumental in bringing Bartok to London for the first time in 1922. From then until 1937 Bartok always stayed in London with Sir Duncan and Lady Wilson at 7 Sydney Place, 230 yards in front of this statue where an English Heritage Blue Plaque commemorates his visit.

{On the metal base, at the back:}
Bela Bartok, 1881 - 1945, Hungarian composer.

{On a marble plaque attached to nearby railings:}
Bela Bartok, 1881 – 1945, Hungarian composer.
By the award-winning Hungarian sculptor Imre Varga
Erected by the Peter Warlock Society in conjunction with the Hungarian Cultural Centre in the year of “Magyar Magic – Hungary in Focus 2004”
with substantial sponsorship from:

Neville Abraham; Boosey and Hawkes Ltd; The Botnar Family; The British Hungarian Fellowship; The British Hungarian Society; Thomas Brown; The John S. Cohen Foundation; Christofferson, Robb & Company; The Heseltine Family, descendants of Peter Warlock; Tracy Boyle of 7 Sydney Place; Bruce and Mary Jenkins of 7 Sydney Place; Kensington Chimes Music; John Mitchell; The National Federation of Hungarians in England; Malcolm Rudland; Peter and Anne Simor; Michael Singer; Universal Edition (London) Ltd; Dr Andrew Zsigmond.

It was the English composer Peter Warlock who was instrumental in bringing Bartok to London for the first time in 1922. From then until 1937, Bartok always stayed in London with Sir Duncan and Lady Wilson at 7 Sydney Place, 230 yards in front of the statue, where an English Heritage Blue Plaque commemorates his visits.

7 foot high. The plaque referred to by the inscription is this one.

Site: Bartok statue (1 memorial)

SW1, Onslow Square

The statue was first installed in October 2004 on a traffic island in Onslow Square by the South Kensington tube station but was removed in 2009 to make way for a highway improvement scheme. Unveiled for the second time 24 September 2011.  London Details have provided some details (obvs), particularly in photos of the very unusual base.

There is a very similar statue of Bartok in Paris.  And a very different one is recorded on our sister site Brussels Remembers, all three by Imre Varga.

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Bartok statue

Subjects commemorated i

Bela Bartok

Composer and pianist. Born Béla Viktor János Bartók in Nagyszentmiklós in the...

Read More

Peter Warlock

Born The Savoy Hotel, as Philip Arnold Heseltine. Peter Warlock was his pseud...

Read More

Sir Duncan Wilson

The Kensington and Chelsea Virtual Museum has a photo of the Wilsons' home in...

Read More

Lady Freda Wilson

Married to Sir Duncan Wilson.

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Bartok statue

Created by i

Hungarian Cultural Centre

From their (Picture source) website: "Dedicated to enhancing knowledge and ap...

Read More

Peter Warlock Society

The address of the Society is given as Schenectady, NY.

Read More

Imre Varga

Sculptor.  Born Hungary.  He also has statues of Bartok in Budapest, Brussels...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Dead Parrot monument

Dead Parrot monument

SE10, King William Walk/Romney Road, Devonport House

Created by artist John Reardon, in homage to the Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch, although It appears to be a sulphur-crested cockato...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Edith Garrud - steel statue

Edith Garrud - steel statue

N4, Station Place

There are two plaques on the blue bench behind the statues: Plaque 1: The characters for this Portrait Bench chosen by your community ce...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Bradley Stone

Bradley Stone

E16, Caxton Street North, Peacock Gymnasium

Sculpted by Ann Downey.

1 subject commemorated
Frieze of Parnassus - Stone

Frieze of Parnassus - Stone

SW7, Kensington Road

The monument, commissioned by Queen Victoria and designed by George Gilbert Scott, was built 1864-72, and the statue of Albert was instal...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Johnson statue

Johnson statue

WC2, Fleet Street

This bronze statue is placed close to St Clement Dane's church, the one that Johnson attended. Reverend Pennington, the rector at St Clem...

3 subjects commemorated, 3 creators