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Bronze. Signed on side “J.N. 10.IX.74”, on back “J. Nálepa”. Bust artist Josef Nálepa was particularly known for his statues. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts (Professors Karel Pokorný and Karel Hladík, portraiture under Emanuel Kodet). He created about 150 portraits of Czechoslovak artists and important figures, including Tomáš Baťa, Vlasta Burian, Jiří Sovák, Miroslav Horníček, Josef Masopust and many others. As a medalist he designed the Czechoslovak two koruna (2 Kčs) coin. His studio was on New World (Nový Svět) lane in the Prague Castle district. Besides fine art, Nálepa also devoted many years to sports and helped to establish water skiing in Czechoslovakia (even becoming the country's eight-time champion). He later brought hang-gliding to Czechoslovakia and started to promote gliding. His most well-known works include a sculpture of Salvador Dalí; reportedly he was the only person in the world to have had the Surrealist artist sit for him. The two artists met thanks to Nálepa's water-skiing, during a race held in Spain in 1971. Fascinated by people who could walk on water, Salvador Dalí had come to watch the race and later met Josef Nálepa by chance at a restaurant. When Dalí learned that his companion was a fellow artist, he invited him to his residence and proposed he make a portrait of him. Nálepa courageously proposed that in exchange, he would make a bust of Dalí. This work was acquired from the artist in the 1980s.