Lot 202

František Bělský (1921 - 2000) THE ORACLE

The monumental sculpture Oraculum from 1973, made of polyester mixed with aluminium powder, giving the objects a subtle glossy effect, is an exceptional work by the Czech award-winning sculptor František Bělský, who lived most of his life in the United Kingdom, where he travelled permanently after the communists seized power after 1948. Here he was able to establish himself very well as an artist, which is undoubtedly evidenced by the fact that he was the only artist to have the opportunity to sculpt members of four generations of the royal family. Three of these portraits are now on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Belsky's other famous works include a statue of Admiral Cunnigham in Trafalgar Square, a statue of Louis Mountbatten and a statue of Winston Churchill, whom he met in person during World War II. In addition to his portrait sculptures, he also created, for example, the several-metre-high London Shell Fountain from 1957. In the Czech Republic, we can see a monument to paratroopers and priests in the Church of St. Cyril and Methodius or a bust of Winston Churchill in Prague.