Lot 177

Josef Fořtl (1942 - 2021) SET OF FIVE ANIMAL MODELS

An integral part of Fořtl's artistic output is not only paintings but also sculptural and design work in collaboration with architects. He has created a number of abstract and thematic sculptures intended for entrance or reception
halls of various institutions. The selection of works for a particular indoor or outdoor public space was decided on the basis of models in public competitions. A set of stylized animals (a bear, a ram, a bull, a pig and a hen) was designed for a children's playground in the middle of a green inner block of a Prague housing estate. In the 1990s, however, the land was acquired by a new housing developer who removed the animal statues as an obstruction before they could be treated to further penetration
against weathering. The authors' efforts to find out what happened to them ended in failure. The statues, which could have adorned many a public space, were thus irretrievably lost or destroyed. The animal sculptures were created in collaboration with the academic painter Ivan Helekal.