Lot 84

Bohumil Kafka (1878 - 1942) GENERAL M. R. ŠTEFÁNIK

In the sculpture on display, Kafka was preparing for one of his greatest works—a piece that no longer exists today. It was ceremoniously unveiled in Bratislava in 1937, but was dismantled as early as 1952 and most likely melted down, never to be seen again. It was a bronze statue over seven meters tall of Milan Rastislav Štefánik, a Franco-Slovak officer and politician, who is depicted in this work as a proud aviator who made a significant contribution to the establishment of an independent Czechoslovak state. In 1928, a design competition was announced for a large monument to Milan Rastislav Štefánik for Bratislava. By early September, Kafka had completed the first sculptural sketch on a 1:40 scale. It turned out that matters related to the Štefánik monument were complicated, as it was not merely an artistic issue but also a political one. During 1929, Kafka modeled six additional variants and began to focus on the “Štefánik the Aviator” variant. The auxiliary model, which was exhibited in Paris—where it was also purchased by the French Ministry of Education—stood 247 cm tall, and the final statue was based on it. In 1936, permission for the project was granted, bringing an end to a struggle that had lasted a total of eight years. The offered bronze sculpture is a half-meter-tall depiction of General Štefánik, created as a final study for the monument and featuring elements of sculptural realism. The work on offer comes from the artist’s estate at the famous Kafka Villa in Prague 6 – Ořechovka. Published in: Kafka, Bohumil and Wittlich, Petr. Bohumil Kafka: (1878–1942): The Story of a Sculptor. Prague: Karolinum, 2014, p. 185.