Lot 100

Břetislav Benda (1897 - 1983) ADAM AND EVE

The impressive sculptural sculpture of Adam and Eve by the Tree of Knowledge was created during the artist's period during which he was taught by Jan Štursa, whom he also assisted as his professor's assistant in large-scale realizations. The traditional figurative theme in art history, domesticated since antiquity, found a new meaning for Benda, especially thanks to Auguste Rodin, who was able to incorporate female nudes into stories and dramas. In the case of the impressive wall-painting, which combines bronze and stone (French marble) into a whole, he added symmetry and movement to an Old Testament story popular in the Art Nouveau and Symbolist periods. This is a very rare example of the realization of applied art for the artist.