Person    | Male  Born 6/4/1921  Died 5/7/2000

Franta Belsky

Categories: Sculpture

Countries: Czechoslovakia

Born Czechoslovakia as Frantisek Belsky. Fled 3 times, twice to escape the Nazis and then again from the Communists. Ornamental Passions we learn that all Belsky's sculptures contain an empty Guinness bottle, the day's newspaper, a sixpence and a note stating that he was the artist.

Other works in London: the 1957 Shell fountain in front of the Shell Building on the South Bank and The Lesson in Bethnal Green.

From Radio Prague International: "He served in the Battle of France, was twice mentioned in the dispatches during the war and saw Winston Churchill at an inspection after the evacuation at Dunkirk. .. After the war, Bělský returned to Czechoslovakia and studied sculpting. However, his studies were disrupted when Bělský escaped Czechoslovakia a second time after the Communist coup d’etat in 1948, but he soon found himself learning again, this time at the Royal College of Art in London. The artist’s first major commission came at the Festival of Britain in 1951. ... Bělský became the official sculptor of the royal family, creating the busts of Queen Elizabeth II, as well as of the princes Philip, William, Andrew and the queen mother."

2023: English Radio CZ has a very informative interview with Bohumil Vostal, the author of a book about Belsky "He Portraited the Queen of England".

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This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Franta Belsky

Creations i

Cunningham bust

Unveiled by Prince Philip in 1967. Inside the bust there is a ½ pint Guinness...

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Mountbatten statue

9 foot 5 inches, bronze on a plinth at the centre of a low stepped platform. ...

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Tattersall's auction yard

This sculpture 'Triga' recalls the racehorses that were bought and sold on th...

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Other Subjects

Thomas Wyon

Thomas Wyon

Engraver and medallist.  Born Birmingham, his father Thomas also being an engraver as were a number of other (male, obviously) members of his family such as Edward Wyon, his brother.  Chief engrave...

Person, Sculpture

1 memorial
Thomas Earp

Thomas Earp

Architectural carver. Born Nottinghamshire. Worked out of 1 Kennington Road. Do not confuse with Thomas Earp the politician, with similar dates.

Person, Sculpture

2 memorials
George Clarke

George Clarke

Sculptor.  Born Birmingham.  Moved to London following the success of his first entry at the Royal Academy in 1821.  His work was popular and he was prolific but from 1832 onwards he was short of m...

Person, Sculpture

1 memorial
Ralph Perrott

Ralph Perrott

Sculptor active in 2011.  Freelanced page.

Person, Sculpture

1 memorial
Charles James Pibworth

Charles James Pibworth

Sculptor. Born Gloucestershire, studied in Bristol. Member of the Art Workers' Guild and a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. Often worked for Charles Holden. Looking for Pibworth wo...

Person, Sculpture

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Christchurch - Greyfriars Church

Christchurch - Greyfriars Church

An information board at the site reads: "Christchurch Greyfriars churchyard covers the site of the church of the Franciscan monastery which stood here from about 1228. The original church was demol...

Building, Religion

3 memorials
Bank of England

Bank of England

Londonist have an interesting post about animals at the Bank of England. The Guardian, 16 April 2022, reporting on an exhibition at the Bank of England, informed that the Bank once owned 599 slave...

Group, Commerce, Politics & Administration, Race Issues

1 memorial