Bohumil Kafka

Bohumil Kafka (14 February 1878 in Nová Paka – 24 November 1942 in Prague) was a Czech sculptor and pedagogue.

He studied in Prague with sculptor Josef Václav Myslbek before moving to Vienna and then Paris to continue his studies. He worked in London, Berlin and Rome before returning and settling in Prague. He frequently worked in an Expressive symbolist style, was a noted animalier as well as being known for his decorative sculpture. He was considered a predecessor to the Art Nouveau style and was highly influenced by the works of Auguste Rodin.

Work

 * Decoration of the National House in Prostějov and the Vojáček family monument in front of it, 1905-1907
 * Orpheus, bronze, 1922 (exhibited at Kozel Castle)
 * The Kiss, bronze, 1919
 * Statue of Karel Havlíček Borovský, bronze, 1918-1924, Havlíčkův Brod
 * Awakening, marble, 1925-26
 * Statue of Josef Mánes in front of the Mánes Bridge, bronze
 * Statue of Jan Žižka at the National Monument at Vítkov
 * Statue of General M. R. Štefánik in Bratislava (original destroyed in 1940, rebuilt after 1990; one-third scale copy stands in front of Štefánik's Observatory)
 * Somnambula, bronze (National Gallery in Prague)
 * Bust of Tomáš Masaryk, bronze, 1925, (National Museum)
 * Bust of JUDr. Karel Kramář, bronze, plaster model (National Museum)
 * Bust of František Xaver Jerie, bronze (Jilemnice Town Hall)