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

Shirley Pace

Shirley Pace

Sculptor. Shirley Sylvia Pace was born and brought up in Worthing. With an early interest in ponies she trained in art but also worked in music (singing) and drama. She married and had children; re...

Person, Sculpture

1 memorial
Gilbert Bayes

Gilbert Bayes

Born 6 Oval Road, Camden Town. Also did the bronze group with clock at the entrance to Selfridges; Oxford Street (1928); the lovely sculptural work on 1 Wigmore Street (1925) as shown at Ornamental...

Person, Sculpture

11 memorials
Hugo Daini

Hugo Daini

Sculptor. Born Rome.  The photograph is of his work called 'Nuns'.  Died Caracas, Venezuela.  We've not been able to find a photo of Daini, nor much information.  It would be even less without the ...

Person, Sculpture, Italy, Venezuela

1 memorial
Frank Lynn Jenkins

Frank Lynn Jenkins

Born Torquay, Devon. Other work in London: 'Abundance' on Thames House, Queen Street Place and the monument for Thomas Joseph Tate in the St. Marylebone Cemetery, East End Road, N3. Moved to Americ...

Person, Sculpture, USA

3 memorials
Les Johnson

Les Johnson

Sculptor.  Born and studied in Australia then came to Britain.

Person, Sculpture, Australia

2 memorials