The Atelier Sale of Franta Belsky Mallams 1788 and Irena Sedlecka
25 April 2017 Oxford
inside covers_Layout 1 12/04/2017 14:13 Page 1
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Mallams 1788
The Atelier Sale of Franta Belsky and Irena Sedlecka 25 April 2017 Oxford Exhibition: Saturday 22 April 9.00am- 12.30pm Monday 24 April 9.00am - 5.00pm Tuesday 25 April 9.00am - 5.00pm Exhibition Location: Bocardo House, 24a St. Michael’s Street, Oxford OX1 2EB +44 (0)1865 241358 Auction Time: 5pm www.mallams.co.uk
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Mallams 1788
SPECIALIST
ORDER OF SALE 1.
Philip Smith MA (Courtauld) Director Head of Modern British Art philip.smith@mallams.co.uk
AUCTION ENQUIRIES & CONDITION REPORTS oxford2@mallams.co.uk +44 (0)1865 241358
Franta Belsky Portrait Busts
1-50
2. Royalty
51-61
3.
Abstracts and Works for Public Sculpture
62-91
Irena Sedlecka
4.
Portrait Busts
92-114
5.
Actors & Singers
115-139A
6. Composers
140-149
7.
Figurative Works
150-163
8.
Sculpture Stands
164-169
BIDS +44 (0)1865 241358 Fax +44 (0)1865 725483 or to bid via the internet www.the-saleroom.com
MARKETING & PRESS ENQUIRIES
CONDITIONS OF SALE This auction is subject to important notices, conditions of sale and reserves, which can be found towards the end of the catalogue. online catalogue www.mallams.co.uk
oxford@mallams.co.uk +44 (0)1865 241358
ARTIST’S RESALE RIGHTS Important Notices: Changes to the Droite de Suite or Artist’s Resale Rights Pictures produced by European Artists can be subject to the Droite de Suite or Artist’s Resale Right which took effect in the United Kingdom on the 14th February 2006. Under this legislation Mallams is required to collect a royalty payment for works by living artists which sell for more than 1000 Euros. This now also applies to works
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by artists who have died within the last seventy years. It is calculated on the Rate of Exchange at the European Central Bank on the date of sale. It is charged to the buyer as a percentage of the hammer price and in addition to the buyer’s premium. The Artist’s Resale right is not subject to VAT. The charge for Works of Art sold at or above 1000 Euros and below 50,000 Euros is 4%. For items selling above this figure the fee is calculated on a
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FOREWORD Neither Franta Belsky, nor Irena Sedlecka, has been the subject of scholarly scrutiny and consequently this catalogue has to rely on surviving studio documentation, including inscriptions on the sculptures themselves, and limited published accounts. The book, Franta Belsky – sculpture, by Christopher Lom, G.S. Whittet, Mervyn Levy and Franta Belsky, (Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer, London, 1992) is most useful as a corpus of illustrations with basic information incorporated into the captions, while Aleksandra Mir has transcribed the relevant parts of her conversations with Irena Sedlecka in the privately published Freddie on the Plinth (available on line www.freddieontheplinth.co.uk). Unfortunately these interviews in 2010-2011 took place after Irena Sedlecka had begun to lose her memory and thus from time to time lack precision. The huge Franta Belsky archive, catalogued by Ellie Finch to exemplary standards, is in the care of the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds and much catalogue material has been derived from it. The cataloguers are indebted to Claire Mayoh, the Institute Archivist, for access to it. Irena Sedlecka’s papers have been sorted by David Boswell to good effect, and further assistance has been provided by the staffs of the Courtauld Institute, Sackler and Tate Gallery Libraries. Peter Cannon-Brookes
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FRANTA BELSKY Son of the eminent Jewish economist, Joseph Belsky, and born in Brno (6 April 1921), Franta Belsky moved with his family to Prague as a small child and grew up there. His middle-class academic upbringing encouraged the development of an independence of thought, and an early conviction as to the rightness of the conclusions he reached, which were characteristic of the internationalist intellectual milieu of Prague to which he belonged by reason of his family background. His father was, perhaps not surprisingly, not keen on the artistic aspirations of young Franta, even when he won first prize in a student sculpture competition aged sixteen. Nonetheless, in 1938, he was prevailed upon to allow Franta to be admitted to a commercial art school in Prague, only to be overtaken by the German occupation of Bohemia and Moravia six months later. The family fled to England, and Franta restarted his studies, at the Central School of Arts & Crafts in London from which he won a place at the Royal College of Art. The Second World War broke out in September 1939 and young Franta immediately enlisted with the Czech units which were beginning to be formed in England. His was sent to France in May 1940, but with the collapse of French resistance his Czech unit made its way south and, via Gibraltar, returned to England a month after Dunkirk. The Czech units gathered in Cholmondely Park, Cheshire, where they were reviewed by Winston Churchill. Franta records scrutinising the Prime Minister closely and resolving, when the time came, to sculpt him as he had seen him that day. During the years before preparations for the Normandy Invasion, Franta was sent by the Czech Army to continue his studies for two terms at the Royal College of Art under Richard Garbe. In 1943 he exhibited at The Royal of Arts, Weasel which he had carved from Jarra Wood carried round in his kitbag. It was then that he met Margaret Owen who he married shortly before leaving for Normandy. Initially serving as a gunner under Montgomery, he transferred to the American Army, serving under Patton, and ended the War back in Czechoslovakia. Joined by Margaret, they set up home in Prague where he recommenced his studies, now at the Academy of Fine Arts under the relief sculptor Otakar Spaniel. From this period dates the Paratroop Memorial which he executed in Spaniel’s studio (1947) and the uniface Zatopek Medal commissioned by the Czech Army (1948). With the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia that year, Franta and Margaret hurriedly returned to London where he resumed his studies at the Royal College, this time under Frank Dobson and John Skeaping. Before graduating, Franta exhibited at the Royal Academy, in 1949, his posthumous portrait of Jan Masaryk and, in 1950, that of Lt. Col. Peniakoff (Popski) who had become a personal friend. The Festival of Britain offered both potential work and the opportunity of seeing the creations of a wide range of British sculptors, not least new ideas for fountains. Furthermore, his over-life-size bronze figure of Cecil Rhodes executed in 1953 for Bulawayo and unveiled by HM The Queen demonstrated clearly his skill at an early age for tackling monumental figures, but it attracted little attention in Britain.
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Rather more attention was directed towards the newly-founded Society of Portrait Sculptors and its exhibition Personalities in Sculpture displayed in Edinburgh, AugustSeptember 1954, and in the Imperial Institute Gallery, South Kensington, over the end of the year, to which Franta contributed his portrait of Peniakoff. With Lesson, executed for the London County Council in 1955 and Joy Ride for Stevenage New Town Centre (1958), Franta established a strong position to satisfy the admittedly waning demand by local government patrons for monumental figurative compositions. However, concurrently, he was also developing entirely abstract forms for fountains, above all the monumental composition created for the European Shell Centre, South Bank, completed in 1961. In all his compositions Franta was determinedly anti-elitist with a deep belief in what he termed the “social” role of his sculpture. Not surprisingly, his aversion to the art market, and what he saw as its pernicious influence on artists, expressed with uncomfortable clarity and certainty, could be interpreted as arrogance, and relations with the Royal Academy became increasingly difficult. Nonetheless, Franta’s excellent relations with his sitters for portraits are borne out by the portrait sculptures from life which he executed of four generations of the Royal Family and his selection for a sequence of highly prestigious naval portraits culminating in the full-length bronze figure of Earl Mountbatten overlooking Horse Guards Parade (1983). The opportunity to work up his memories of Winston Churchill in 1940 came to fruition with the commission by Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, for an over-life-size bronze figure close to the spot where Churchill had delivered his ‘Iron Curtain’ speech. Unveiled in 1971, Franta developed something of a line in sculpted portraits of the wartime leader, much to the irritation of Lady Churchill, culminating in the half-length figures outside the British Embassy in Prague (1992) which she declined to unveil. The Society of Portrait Sculptors went into hibernation in 1984, but it was revived by Franta and others in 1996, with Franta as its President. Margaret had died in 1989, and the ever closer relationship with his fellow student from Prague, Irena Sedlecka, led to their marriage in 1985. Active in his Studio almost to the end, Franta died 5 July 2000. Peter Cannon-Brookes
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Franta Belsky: Chronology
1921
Born Brno, 6 April, son of Jewish economist, Joseph Belsky Childhood in Prague
1938
Aged 17 admitted to a commercial art school in Prague German Occupation of Czechoslovakia Belsky family left Prague for London Franta enrolled at the Central School of Arts & Crafts, London, and won place at Royal College of Art
1939
September, outbreak of Second World War Enlisted in Czechoslovak Army units in Britain
1940
Sent to France with his unit After the Fall of France, returned to Britain via South of France
1943-44 “Standing and Waiting”: two terms at The Royal College of Art , under Richard Garbe 1943
Weasel carved from Jarra Wood exhibited at Royal Academy
1944
Married Margaret Owen before departure for D Day Normandy Landings
1945
Ended World War II in Czechoslovakia serving last three months with U.S. Army under Patten Joined in Prague by Margaret
1945-48 Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, in Sculpture School under Otakar Spaniel 1947
Paratroop Memorial, Prague, executed in Spaniel’s studio
1948
Zatopek Medal Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia Returned to London and resumed studies at The Royal College of Art, under Frank Dobson and John Skeaping
1949
Jan Masarik portrait exhibited at The Royal Academy
1950
Doorknocker, and Lt. Col. Peniakoff (Popski) exhibited at The Royal Academy A.R.C.A. Hons. Dip., 1st Class, awarded by The Royal College of Art
1952
Festival of Britain Constellation, and portraits of Peter Ustinov and Cecil Day Lewis
1953
Cecil Rhodes for Bulawayo, Constellation, Colchester
1954
Personalities in Sculpture exhibition in Edinburgh organised by the Society of Portrait Sculptors, and the Imperial Institute Gallery, South Kensington, 1954-55 Statuette of Winston Churchill, “1940” – Study exhibited
1955 1956
Miss Susan Whittet
1958
Triga, Caltex House, Knightsbridge Joy Ride, Stevenage New Town Centre
1959
October, ’56 Society Exhibition, Birmingham University, Franta Belsky
1960
Aerial Form, Sir Arthur Thomson, Sleeping Centaur
1961
Fountain for European Shell Centre, South Bank, completed
1962
HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother for Birmingham University Caroline Hewatt HRH The Prince Andrew 3 ½ Years Old Caroline Hewatt
1963
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Lesson, for London County Council, Bethnal Green Girl, Jill Balcon
1963-68 President of the Society of Portrait Sculptors 1965
Awarded the Jean Masson Davidson International Award for Portrait Sculpture
1969
Admiral Cunningham, Trafalgar Square Sherban Cantacuzino Astronomer Herschel Memorial, Slough
1971
Winston Churchill, Churchill Memorial and Library, Fulton, Missouri
1971
Winston Churchill, bust in Churchill Archives, Cambridge
1972 1975
Winston Churchill, relief for P&O, The Spirit of London Chief Odutola President Harry S Truman, bust for Presidential Library, Independence, Missouri Totem, Manchester Arndale Centre, and awarded the Royal Society of British Sculptors’ Sir Otto Beit Medal in respect of it 1976 Oracle, Temple Way House, Bristol
1976
Lord Cottesloe, National Theatre Royal Society of British Sculptors’ Sir Otto Beit Medal
1978
John Dutton, Lord Chandos Royal Society of British Sculptors’ Sir Otto Beit Medal Jean Masson Davidson Award for Distinction in Portrait Sculpture
1979
HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, National Portrait Gallery, London Sir John Methven President Harry S. Truman, Truman Dam, Osage River, Missouri
1980
Crown Coin, Queen Mother 80th Birthday, Guernsey issue
1981
HM The Queen, National Portrait Gallery, London Sally Korda
1982
Duet, Passacaglia
1983
Earl Mountbatten, monument, Horse Guards Parade
1984
HRH The Prince Andrew, National Portrait Gallery, London Society of Portrait Sculptors goes into hibernation (until 1996)
1985
HRH The Prince William, Admiral of the Fleet Lord Lewin, HMS Dryad
1986
HM The Queen, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster
1987
John Piper
1988
Leap fountain, Blackwall Basin
1989
Death of Margaret Belsky
1990
Chanticleer, for Rank Xerox
1992
Winston Churchill, bust for Prague Czech & Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain exhibition at the Czechoslovak Embassy, London Monograph Franta Belsky – sculpture published
1995
Prague Memorial to Czechoslovaks who served with the RAF
1996
Society of Portrait Sculptors revived with Franta Belsky as President Married Irena Sedlecka
1997
Mick Lunn Hon. Doctor of Fine Arts, Westminster College, Fulton, Misspouri
1998
Jorgen Jahre
1999
Wenceslas Hollar, Southwark Cathedral Awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit by Czech President, Vaclav Havel
2000
Died 5 July 9
Portrait Busts
1. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Model for Zátopek Medal, 1948 bronze signed ‘F. Belsky / 48’ inscribed ‘ZÁTOPKUV VOJENSKY ZÁVOD’ 22.5cm diameter Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for medal as struck. Commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, Prague. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
2. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Lt. Col. Vladimir Peniakoff, 1950 plaster signed and dated ‘F. Belsky / 50’ 31cm high Exhibited: Royal Academy of Arts, London, Summer Exhibition, 1950 (1314). Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992, bronze. Peniakoff was the creator and commander of ‘Popki’s Private Army’. The bronze cast is in the Palazzo Publico, Ravenna. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
4. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Cecil Day Lewis, 1952 resin signed ‘F Belsky / 52’ and monogrammed label to base 40cm high overall (base 2cm high)
3. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Peter Ustinov, 1951 resin/patinated plaster signed and dated ‘Belsky / 51’ and and monogrammed 42cm high Exhibited: Royal Academy of Arts, London, Summer Exhibition, 1952 (1459); Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1953 (23), plaster; The Royal Scottish Academy, 1954 (51) as Peter Ustinov Esq.; Franta Belsky, University of Birminham ‘56 Society, 1959 (1), plaster; Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1976 (6) as Peter Ustinov in 1952. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992, illustrated. £150-250 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Lot 4
Exhibited: Art Centre, Edinburgh, Personalities in Sculpture, 1954 (4); Imperial Institute Gallery, London, 1954-55 (4), plaster?; The John Moores, Liverpool Exhibition, 1957; Franta Belsky, University of Birmingham ‘56 Society, 1959 (13), plaster. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 illustrating bronze version. The bronze cast was purchased by the National Portrait Gallery, London, 1976. £100-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Lot 5
5. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Tamasin Day Lewis at four weeks, 1953 resin monogrammed 16cm high. £30-60 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
BP* – Buyer’s Premium of 24% incl. VAT @ 20% Lots marked ARR* may be subject to an additional fee - for full details please see contents page
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Lot 6
8. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Three portrait busts of boys, one depicting Sherban Cantacuzino and another Vincent McKey one plaster and two resin each signed ‘F Belsky’, one dated 1955, one dated 1969 and the other undated 28cm high, 23cm high and 27cm high (3)
Lot 7
6. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Portrait of a young girl, 1952 bronze signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 52’ and monogrammed 23cm high. £200-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*) 7. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Portrait of a lady, 1953 plaster, painted black signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 53’ 32cm high. £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Note: Sherban Cantacuzino was the last male descendant of a 4th Century Byzantine family. He died tragically four years after this bust was completed. Exhibited: (Cantacuzino) Royal Academy of Arts, London, Summer Exhibition, 1970 (587); (Cantacuzino) Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1972 (158) (addendum to catalogue; (Cantacuzino) Czech and Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechslovak Republic, London, 1992 (7), bronze resin, as Sherbani; (McKey) Society of Portrait Sculptors, The Mall Galleries, London, 1975 (5). £150-250 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
9. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Jill Balcon, 1955 resin signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 55’ and monogrammed 35cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, Imperial Institute Art Gallery, London, 1955 (28), plaster; Royal Academy of Arts, London, Summer Exhibition, 1956 (1324) as Miss Jill Balcon - head; Franta Belsky, University of Birmingham ‘56 Society, 1959 (2), plaster. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992, this plaster illustrated. £100-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
BP* – Buyer’s Premium of 24% incl. VAT @ 20% Lots marked ARR* may be subject to an additional fee - for full details please see contents page
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10. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Susan Whittet (1956), Camilla Leigh, Christopher Batchelor (1960), Paul Matthews (1965) and one further of an unknown girl (1957) plaster, plaster, resin, resin, plaster each signed ‘F Belsky’ and four dated 20cm high, 27cm high, 27cm high, 25cm high and 29cm high respectively (5). Illustrated: (Whittet and Leigh) see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. Exhibited: (Whittet) Society of Portrait Sculptors, Imperial Institute Art Gallery, London, 1957 (27), original plaster; (Whittet) Franta Belsky, University of Birmingham ‘56 Society, 1959 (14), bronze version; (Leigh) Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1981 (6); (Batchelor) Royal Academy of Arts, London, Summer Exhibition, 1961 (1308), bronze version; (Batchelor) Society of Portrait Sculptors, RWS, London, 1961 (57), no material stated; (Matthews) Society of Portrait Sculptors, RWS, London, 1965 (21), copper resin. £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
11. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Portrait of a young child, 1958 a portrait of a girl with ribbon tied hair, 1968 resin each signed ‘F Belsky’ and dated 23cm high and 28cm high respectively (2). £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
12. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Four portrait busts of young boys Richard Astley, Jonathan Danos, Hugh Macaulay and one further two resin and two plaster each signed ‘F Belsky’, one dated 1959, one 1967, one 1970 and one 1980 the third inscribed ‘Hugh’ 25cm high, 28cm high, 27cm high and 26cm high respectively (4) Exhibited: (Astley) Franta Belsky, University of Birmingham ‘56 Society, 1959 (3), bronze; (Danos) Society of Portrait Sculptors, RWS Galleries, London, 1967 (24); (Macaulay) Society of Portrait Sculptors, The Mall Galleries, London, 1973 (7). £200-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*) 13. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Carol Pratt, 1959 resin signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 59’ and monogrammed 55cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, RWS, London, 1959 (24), original plaster. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*) 14. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Doctor Dyson plaster signed ‘Belsky’ 32cm high, on marble socle Exhibited: Franta Belsky, University of Birmingham ‘56 Society, 1959 (6), concrete. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
BP* – Buyer’s Premium of 24% incl. VAT @ 20% Lots marked ARR* may be subject to an additional fee - for full details please see contents page
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15. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Six heads/masks of children one depicting Richard Astley five plaster and two resin two signed ‘F Belsky’ and one monogrammed one dated 1961 and one dated 1963 the largest 26cm high, the smallest 20cm high (6). £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
16. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Caroline Hewatt, 1962, and Charles Dowson, 1964 portrait busts resin each signed ‘F Belsky’, the latter dated ‘64’ and inscribed ‘For Sally and Philip’ 24cm high and 27cm high respectively (2) Exhibited: (Caroline Hewatt) Society of Portrait Sculptors, RWS Galleries, London, 1962 (137) as The Hewatt Twins: Caroline, resin/bronze; (Caroline Hewatt) Czech and Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechslovak Republic, London, 1992 (5), resin bronze; (Charles Dowson) Society of Portrait Sculptors at RWS Galleries, London, 1964 (20). £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
18. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Mme Demetrios Constantinides resin signed ‘F. Belsky’ 43cm high, marble plinth 7.5cm and labelled The Society of Portrait Sculptors/50. Mary/Franta Belsky FRBS ARCA, Exhibited: Royal Academy of Arts, London, Summer Exhibition, 1965 (1558) as Mrs Constantinides - head, copper resin. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
17. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Sergio Biemmi and another portrait bust of a gentleman resin the former signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 63’ 30cm high and 31cm high (2) Exhibited: (Biemmi) Society of Portrait Sculptors, RWS Galleries, London, 1963 (25), resin/bronze, as Sergio Brani (sic), Esq. Illustrated: (Biemmi) see Franta Belsky Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992, illustrated. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
19. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Sir Arthur P. Thomson, 1960 resin signed ‘Belsky’, monogrammed and dated ‘60’ 57cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, RWS Galleries, London, 1960 (29). Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992, bronze. Commissioned for the University of Birmingham 1958 as Thomson was Vice-Principal of the University, 1952. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
BP* – Buyer’s Premium of 24% incl. VAT @ 20% Lots marked ARR* may be subject to an additional fee - for full details please see contents page
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20. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Sir Winston Churchill resin 48cm high Exhibited: Probably exhibited at The Society of Portrait Sculptors, 1971.
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Portrait study for the over-life-size statue executed for the memorial in Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, USA, unveiled 16 May 1971. The most recent account of the genesis of the Westminster College commission is provided by Jonathan Black, Winston Churchill in British Art, 1900 to the Present Day, London, Bloomsbury Academic, 2017, p.209. £600-800 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
BP* – Buyer’s Premium of 24% incl. VAT @ 20% Lots marked ARR* may be subject to an additional fee - for full details please see contents page
21. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Winston Churchill, relief panel, 1972 resin signed ‘F Belsky’ 71cm x 56cm. £200-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
22. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Sir Winston Churchill, relief panel, 1972 resin signed ‘F Belsky / London / 1972’ inscribed ‘SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL’ in relief 79cm x 98cm
22A. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Five casting busts of Winston Churchill two plaster and three resin the largest 16cm high, the smallest 4.5cm high (5). £100-200
Commissioned by P&O for the ferry The Spirit of London for the Churchill Lounge. £300-500 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
24. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Lord Cottesloe, 1976 resin signed and dated ‘Belsky / 76’ 29cm high Exhibitied: Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1976 (5) as plaster for bronze; Society of Portrait Sculptors, FACE 2001 (3), as studio original plaster for bronze. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992, bronze cast illustrated. The bronze version in the National Theatre, London. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
23. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Chief Odutola, the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu Ode, 1972 resin signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 1972’ 57cm high Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for the bronze model, which was exhibited at the Society of Portrait Sculptors, The Mall Galleries, London, 1972 (156) and is now in Odutola College, Ijebu Odu, Nigeria. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
25. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Acrobat/Study of Mrs Y. U., 1976 aluminium resin signed ‘F Belsky’ 80cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1977 (3). Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. £100-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
BP* – Buyer’s Premium of 24% incl. VAT @ 20% Lots marked ARR* may be subject to an additional fee - for full details please see contents page
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26. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) President Harry S. Truman, 1972 plaster signed ‘F. Belsky’ and dated 13cm high Exhibited: Probably Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1974 (4). Study for the statue of Truman for the US Army Corps of Engineers, Truman Dam, Ozark River, MO. Head study in the Truman Presidential Library, Independence, Missouri. £40-70 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
27. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) H. E. Sheppard, Esq., F.C.A. and Joseph Bursik plaster each signed ‘F Belsky’ and the latter dated ‘92’ each 30cm high (2) Exhibited: (Sheppard) Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1977 (4). Bursik was a Czech resistance fighter, general and dissident and he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
28. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Edward Thompson, 1978 plaster signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 78’ 35cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, The Mall Galleries, London, 1978 (10). Note: Edward Thompson was the Estate’s Bursar of Jesus College, Oxford. £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
29. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) John Dutton, Chairman of Lopex, 1978 plaster signed ‘F Belsky / 78’ and inscribed ‘David Dutton’ 65cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1978 (12) as David Dutton, plaster for bronze. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for illustration of bronze cast. £100-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
30. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Sir John Methven, 1979 resin signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 79’ 34cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, Guildhall Art Gallery, London, 1980 (10); Czech & Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechoslovak Republic, London, 1992 (3). £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
BP* – Buyer’s Premium of 24% incl. VAT @ 20% Lots marked ARR* may be subject to an additional fee - for full details please see contents page
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31. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Mrs Thelma Wade plaster signed ‘F. Belsky’ 38cm high
32. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Sally Korda, 1981 resin signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 81’ 35cm high
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1979 (1), the bronze cast. £40-70 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1982 (11), aluminium resin. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for similar model in bronze dated 1983. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
33. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Wenceslas Hollar, 1991 resin signed ‘F. Belsky’ 32cm high together with another relief portrait, resin aluminium signed and dated ‘F. Belsky / 91’ 31cm high (2) Illustrated: (Hollar) see Franta Belsky Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. Exhibited: (Hollar) Society of Portrait Sculptors, The Gallery in Cork Street, London, 1999 (4). First cast of Hollar is in Southwark Cathedral, 1983, nickel bronze. £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
34. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Portrait of a lady, 1979 plaster signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 79’ 32cm high. £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
35. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) John Piper, 1987 plaster signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 87’ 33cm high Exhibited: Czech and Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechslovak Republic, London, 1992 (8), resin. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. Commissioned by Patrick Horsbrugh. Another copy can be found at the National Portrait Gallery, London. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
36. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Jorgen Jahre, 1990 relief portrait plaster signed ‘F. Belsky / 90’ notes in pencil for the founder inscribed on the reverse ‘’J. JAHRE /F.BELSKY’ and another, 42cm high x 31cm wide (2). £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
37. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Three portrait busts of gentlemen plaster two signed ‘F. Belsky’ and one dated ‘90’ 31cm high, 31.5cm high and 32cm high (3). £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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38. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Mick Lunn, Denzil Batchelor and another bust white resin, bronze resin and aluminium resin each signed and dated ‘F. Belsky’, 1990, 1966 and 1995 respectively 27cm high, 28.5cm high and 33cm high respectively (3) Exhibited: (Lunn) Society of Portrait Sculptors, The Gallery in Cork Street, London, 1997 (6), plaster for bronze. Illustrated: (Lunn) see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
39. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Woman with long hair, 1995 resin signed and dated ‘Belsky / 95’ 33cm high. £30-50 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
42. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Portrait of a girl with ribbon tied hair plaster signed ‘F Belsky’ and monogrammed 31cm high. £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
40. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Relief portrait of gentleman in glasses, 1999 nickel bronze initialled and dated ‘F. B. / 99’ 22.5cm diameter. £40-70 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
41. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Müssli plaster signed ‘F Belsky’ and monogrammed 39cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, The Gallery in Cork Street, London, FACE, 2000 (9) as A Swiss Lady who lives near Abingdon and travels for a good part of the year as an air hostess for Swiss Air. £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
43. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Lt. Col. Sir Walter Bromley Davenport MP resin signed ‘F Belsky’ 31cm high
44. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Lord Chandos bronze signed ‘F Belsky’ with Meridian London Foundry mark 30cm high
Commissioned by Professor Patrick Horsbrugh, Chairman of the Board, Environic Foundation International, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA and cast in bronze for it. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. £300-500 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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45. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Mrs Ogunmeukan plaster signed ‘F Belsky’ 43cm high. £100-200
46. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Samuel Beckett resin with aluminium powder signed ‘F Belsky’ 39cm high
48. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Mask resin 21cm high 94. £40-70 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
49. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Pam Matthews resin signed ‘F Belsky’ 39cm high, wooden plinth 9cm high. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, The Gallery in Cork Street, London, FACE 2000 (10). £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
47. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Portrait of a lady resin signed ‘F Belsky / 80’ 32cm high. £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
50. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Portrait of a young boy resin inscribed ‘F. BEL’ on underside of plinth 27cm high. £40-80 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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Royalty 51. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Prince Andrew, 3 1/2 years old, 1963 and Prince Andrew, 1984 resin and plaster each signed ‘F Belsky’ and dated and the former monogrammed the latter signed ‘Andrew’ 24cm high and 30cm high (2) Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, RWS Galleries, London, 1963 (118); Royal Academy of Arts, London, Summer Exhibition, 1964 (1217), the bronze edition. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992, illustrated (the former illustrated in bronze) 52. See page 21 53. See page 21
54. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, 1979 plaster signed ‘F. Belsky / 79’ signed ‘Philip’ 31cm high. £200-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
The later bust was commissioned by the trustees of the National Portrait Gallery, London. £100-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
55. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Earl Mountbatten of Burma, 1981 resin signed ‘F Belsky /1981’ inscribed ‘Study’ 33cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1983, a bronze from the edition of 9 was exhibited as Study for the Memorial.
56. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Earl Mountbatten of Burma plaster inscribed ‘Study no.1’ 35cm high. £40-70 (plus 24% BP* ARR*) 57. See page 22 58. See page 22
Note: This posthumous study is probably for the bronze intended for the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London. £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
59. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) HM The Queen low relief portrait for coinage plaster 20 x 15cm overall, together with two others of HM The Queen and HM The Queen Mother 26cm diameter (3). £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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52. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) HRH Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh, 1979 bronze signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 79’ and numbered ‘2/VII’ signed ‘Philip’ with Meridian Foundry mark 32cm high
53. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, 1979 bronze signed ‘F Belsky / 79’ and numbered ‘3/V’ signed ‘Philip’ with Meridian Foundry mark 32cm high
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, Guildhall Art Gallery, London, 1980 (9) as No.2 of edition of 4.
Exhibited: Czech and Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechslovak Republic, London, 1992 (2).
Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992.
Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, London. £2000-3000 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
One of the edition was purchased by the National Portrait Gallery, London. £2000-3000 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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57. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) H. M. The Queen, 1981 bronze dated ‘81’ and numbered ‘4/IX’ signed ‘F Belsky’ signed ‘Elizabeth R’, with Meridian foundry mark 33cm high
58. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) HM The Queen, 1981 bronze signed and dated ‘F Belsky / 81’ and numbered ‘2/IX’ signed ‘Elizabeth R’ with Meridian Foundry mark 34cm high £2000-3000 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, The Mall Galleries, London, 1982 (12); Czech and Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechslovak Republic, London, 1992 (1), bronze. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. Commissioned by the Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery, London; other casts are in The Queen’s Gallery and St. Thomas’s Hospital, London. £3000-4000 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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60. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) H. M. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother plaster relief model for crown piece 21cm diameter Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, Mall Galleries, London, 1981 (5), plaster. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for an example of this coin as struck. This crown coin was struck by The Royal Mint in cupro-nickel and silver in commemoration of The Queen Mother’s Birthday. It was the winning design of an open competition in 1980. £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
61. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) HRH The Prince William, 1985 bronze signed and dated ‘Belsky / Oct 1985’ 27cm high Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for similar model. The original commission came from HM The Queen, Buckingham Palace, London. £300-500 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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Abstracts & Studies for Public Sculpture 63. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Idol (Bird Form), 1952 mulga wood monogrammed and dated ‘52’ in paint on underside 34.5cm high Exhibited: Franta Belsky, University of Birmingham ‘56 Society, 1959 (12). Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*) 62. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Door Knocker, 1950 lignum vitae 17cm high
64. See page 25 65. See page 26
Exhibited: Franta Belsky, University of Birmingham ‘56 Society, 1959 (11). Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. £150-250 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
66. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Five maquettes for Sleeping Centaur two plaster, two wax and one resin each 12cm across (5). £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
67. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Aerial Form, 1960 bronze signed ‘Belsky’ 26cm high on marble plinth Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992.
68. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Aerial Form for The Studio Television Drama Design Award, 1960 resin bronze signed ‘F Belsky’ 34cm high. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Created in 1960 for The Studio Television Drama Design Award. £400-600 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
69. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Six maquettes for abstract compositions including ‘Motet’ and ‘Lovelock’ all plaster Motet 19cm wide, Lovelock 19.5cm wide (6). £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
70. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Continuo, 1964, bronze 21cm high, 28cm wide The date for this work can be found on the reverse of the photograph in the Henry Moore Archive. £150-250 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
72. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Maquettes of Torso and Family Group torso signed ‘F Belsky’ type-metal 16cm high and 17cm high respectively (2). £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
71. See page 27
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64. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Girl (Standing Girl, Nude) resin signed ‘F Belsky’ 180cm high Exhibited: Czech and Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechslovak Republic, London, 1992 (4), resin bronze. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for the model designed in 1955, bronze cast in a private collection. £800-1200 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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65. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Lesson bronze signed ‘F Belsky’ 71cm high Exhibited: Royal Academy of Arts, London, Summer Exhibition, 1959 (1413), bronze; Franta Belsky, University of Birmingham ‘56 Society, 1959 (4), bronze; Czech and Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechslovak Republic, London, 1992 (10), bronze; Loaned to Czech Embassy until 2009.
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Illustrated: Franta Belsky Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992, for a full scale example of this sculpture, one of which was made for the L.C.C. Avebury Housing Estate, Bethnal Green, London and the other for Abingdon, Oxfordshire. £2500-3500 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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71. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Three Graces, 1966 alabaster monogrammed and dated 23cm high Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for a similar model. £600-800 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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73. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Family Group, 1967 type-metal signed ‘F Belsky’ 22.5cm high, serpentine plinth Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
74. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Match, 1981 oak and plane 55cm wide x 27cm across Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992. £300-600 (plus 24% BP* ARR*) 75. See page 29
77. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Four maquettes for ‘Leap Fountain’ two resin, one plaster and one metal each 13cm diameter (4) Models for elements of Leap, the competition winner for fountain in Jamestown Harbour, London Docklands, commissioned by Wates, 1988. Illustrated: see Franta Belsky Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for illustration of full scale work. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*) 78. See page 30
79. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) ‘X marks the spot’ bronze signed and dated ‘F Belsky 1998’ and numbered ‘1/1’ inscribed ‘X marks the spot’ engraved into the back of the integral base 36cm high, 24.5cm wide. £400-700 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
76. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Passacaglia, 1982 aluminium resin signed ‘Belsky’ 43cm high Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for another cast in copper resin. £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
80. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Bird and an abstract composition resin and silver painted wood the former signed ‘Belsky’ 40cm high and 30cm high respectively (2). £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
81. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Maquette for Venusform III, circa 1969 bronze signed ‘Belsky’ 28cm high Illustrated: see Franta Belsky - Sculpture, Richter, Prague and A. Zwemmer Ltd., London, 1992 for the full scale model in aluminium resin. £300-500 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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75. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Duet bronze signed ‘F Belsky’ 43cm high, 44cm wide £600-900 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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78. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Fountain Figure, Pepina bronze 41cm high and a plaster version, 45cm high (2) Exhibited: A bronze cast was exhibited in the Salon, 1998. £1500-2500 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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82. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Green man masks, Dolphin forms, Spiral motif and Shell form a collection of small models the largest 10cm across (11). £30-60
83. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Maquettes for ‘Match’ and ‘Duet’ plaster each signed ‘F Belsky’ Match 11cm high and Duet 15cm high (2). £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
84. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Two maquettes for Mother & Child, Crouching Woman and Reclining Nymph wax, plaster, plaster and terracotta respectively 22.5cm high, 19cm across, 24cm across and 20.5cm across (4). £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
85. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Three maquettes abstract form, maquette for Firebird and the other of a six legged beast bronze, type-metal, bronze the abstract signed ‘F Belsky’ 10.5cm high, 13cm high and 14cm high respectively (3). £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
86. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Owl (baby) silver, hallmarked for London 8.5cm wide. £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
87. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) President’s Badge of Society of Portrait Sculptors Trial casts: two resin and one plaster all 6.6cm overall, together with four portrait medallions after Donatello, plaster, each 7cm diameter (7). £30-60
88. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Abstract/Reclining Figure resin indistinctly signed ‘Belsky’ 17cm high, 31cm wide. £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
89. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Ad of the Year, Woman’s Magazine Advertising Creative Awards plaster signed ‘F. Belsky’ 33cm high. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
90. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Torso Abstract plaster 35cm high. £40-70 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
91. Franta Belsky (1921-2000) Two seated figures one plaster and one terracotta 10.5cm high and 21cm high (2). £20-40 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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IRENA SEDLECKA Visitors to London, walking down Jermyn Street in St. James’s, will encounter the elegant figure of Beau Brummel facing the Piccadilly Arcade. However, relatively few realise that the over-life-size bronze figure was executed by Irena Sedlecka, the highly distinguished Czech-born portrait sculptor whose studio in Sutton Courtney has to be dispersed. A native of Pilsen in South-western Czechoslovakia, as it was then, Irena Sedlecka began her artistic training as a seventeen-year-old student in the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague when it re-opened after the end of the Second World War. Her Professor of Sculpture, Karel Pokorny, ensured that during the ensuing four years she received a very thorough grounding in the artistic and technical aspects of figurative sculpture, while the art historian V.V.Stech inspired her to look closely at all periods of Czech sculpture. She graduated from the Academy in 1949 and was awarded the State Prize for Excellence. The Communist takeover in 1948 provided for a time plentiful public commissions for sculptors and, at least at first, an enhanced status for creative artists. Competitions led to prestigious commissions for monumental sculpture and a brilliant career beckoned. Winning the sculpture competition for the Klement Gottwald Mausoleum in 1954 brought with it four weeks stay in the USSR for her, all expenses paid, and her first husband, Ludwig Kodym, with whom she had collaborated in the production of sculpture for the Lenin Museum in Prague (1952). During this period she produced very high quality sculpture in the Socialist Realist style demanded by Stalin, and was well paid for them, but these successes failed to retain her and her sculpture God is Dead (1965) embodied her disillusionment with Marxist-Leninist materialism. So, in 1966, by a carefully-planned circuitous route, she, her second husband, and her three children succeeded in reaching London. In her own words, the period 1967-74 was her ‘Wasted Years’ during which she made little sculpture when her husband left her with the three children and a mortgage. However the practical training which she had received in Prague enabled her to earn a modest living doing occasional sculptural modelling jobs for the British Museum and others. Her fellow student from Prague, Franta Belsky, and his English wife , who had left Czechoslovakia after the Communist coup in 1948, was able to offer limited support and encouraged her to exhibit with the Society of Portrait Sculptors in 1967, but her big breakthrough had to wait until 1978 and the success of the commission for the Head of Sir Laurence Olivier.
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This led indirectly to the ‘Talking Heads’ project which was the brain child of the former theatrical producer, John Wimbourne. For this a celebrity would be filmed talking through a prepared script while sitting motionless in a special chair. Then Irena Sedlecka would model a life-size portrait in clay, assisted by photographs of the sitter taken from many angles, from which casts were taken in plaster. Some of these are included in this Sale. After making sure that the contours were absolutely correct, so that the film would project accurately, a second plaster would be made with the features smoothed away “like an ancient statue eroded by rain”. The film is then projected onto the face which comes alive to an uncanny degree. The ‘Talking Heads’ were intended to be used as a sales tool and proved very effective, but Irena Sedlecka tired of them though the project obtained for her a series of orthodox portraits of influential sitters for display and fresh commissions. Raymond Baxter was one of the first of these. Notwithstanding her modest dismissal of her own work, and her generosity in respect of the works of her competitors, the long series of portrait heads which Irena Sedlecka exhibited at the Annual Exhibitions of the Society of Portrait Sculptors from 1974 maintained an extremely high standard, justly attracting a galaxy of distinguished sitters. Many of her earlier subjects have been from the world of the performing arts, with impressive heads of the actors James Berwick (exhibited 1979), Laurence Olivier (as Hamlet, 1980), Kenneth Williams (1981), Donald Sinden (as Othello, 1982), Paul Bacon (1982), Paul Eddington (1984) and Nigel Hawthorn (1984), as well as the eloquent small-scale seated figure of John Gielgud (as Hamlet) which is probably the most successful model in her series of statuettes of actors and singers. All of this has been achieved during decades when the figurative tradition in Britain has been under assault from Modernism and received scant encouragement from the Contemporary Art elite or state bodies, including the National Portrait Gallery. The reinvigoration, in recent years, of the figurative tradition in public esteem owes much to Irena Sedlecka and her third husband, Franta Belsky, and to highprofile commissions such as the over-life-size bronze figure of Freddie Mercury for Montreux which became well-known to Londoners by virtue of the enlarged version in fibre-glass resin which ornamented for many years the canopy of the Dominion Theatre at the south end of Tottenham Court Road. In more recent years, Irena Sedlecka acquired her most important single patron, the eccentric publisher Felix Dennis. For his personal Valhalla – ‘Heroes and Villains’ – on his estate in Warwickshire, populated by over-life-size bronze statues, she executed the remarkable seated figure of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle behind whom rises the phantasmagoric figure of Sherlock Holmes (unveiled December 2001) and the figure of the American poetess Emily Dickinson (unveiled October 2007) which was particularly problematic to achieve because no profile image of her is known. The programme of commissions put in hand by the late Felix Dennis is conspicuous for its idiosyncracies, but it is nevertheless by a wide margin the most important programme of figurative sculpture to be undertaken in Britain since the Second World War. Peter Cannon-Brookes
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Irena Sedlecka: Chronology
1928
Born in Pilsen
1938
German occupation of Czechoslovakia and closure of the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague
1944
Further education denied by German authorities and sent to work in a factory, until May 1945
1945 1948
Pilsen liberated by the American Army Started studies in the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, in the Sculpture School under Karel Pokorny and V.V.Stech Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia
1949
Graduated from the Academy and awarded the State Prize for Excellence
1952
Lenin Museum competition won by Irena Sedlecka and Ludwig Kodym (married 1952)
1954
Klement Gottwald Mausoleum sculpture competition won by Sedlecka and Kodym Four weeks holiday in Soviet Union included as part of the prize, spent in Sochy
1958
Divorced Kodym and married Stefan Drexler, a paedetrician who had served with Czech units in the British army
1950s
Monument to the Victims of the Nazi Regime, Velke Mezirice, Moravia Monument to Julius Fucik, Pilsen
1965
God is Dead receives official approval
1966
Arrival in London (September) with Drexel and three children
1967
Exhibited at the Society of Portrait Sculptors, Franz Kafka
1967-74
The ‘Wasted Years’ occasional modelling jobs for David Perrot and British Museum
1970
Separated from Stefan Drexler
1974-
Exhibited regularly with the Society of Portrait Sculptors
1978
Head of Laurence Olivier, Arnold Schonberg, Raymond Baxter
1980
Sir Laurence Olivier as Oedipus, Ted Moult, Kenneth Kendall
1981
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‘Talking Heads’ Project and giant head of Laurence Olivier Donald Sinden as Othello, Jackie Stewart
1983
Lord Lichfield, Magnus Magnusson
1984
Benjamin Britten, Nigel Hawthorn, Paul Eddington Society of Portrait Sculptors goes into hibernation (until 1996)
1985
Sir Laurence Olivier (the last portrait of him taken from life) Maria Callas
1986
Maria Callas as Violetta
1989
Death of Margaret Belsky
1987
Sir Frank Whittle, Baudelaire
1988
Maria Callas as Norma, Johannes Brahms
1991
Death of Freddie Mercury from AIDS Bust of Freddie Mercury and commission to proceed with large-scale bronze
1992
Lawrence Olivier as Mr. Puff Exhibition Czech & Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, at Czechoslovak Embassy, London, May Paul Scofield as Salieri, Joan Sutherland as Lucia di Lammermoor
1993
John Gielgud as Richard II, John Gielgud as Hamlet
1994
Ralph Richardson as Falstaff, Beau Brummel maquette
1996
Franta Belsky, Freddie Mercury installed in Montreux Society of Portrait Sculptors revived with Franta Belsky as President Married Franta Belsky as third husband
1998
Architect Joself Svoboda for National Theatre, Prague
1999
Emmy Destinn – The Diva installed at Straz nad Nezarkou
2000
Death of Franta Belsky
2001
Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes installed on the estate of Felix Dennis
2004
Paula Fenwick Awarded the Jean Masson Davidson Medal
2007
Emily Dickinson installed on the estate of Felix Dennis
2010
Jan Hruska
2011
The Meeting at the Cabaret Lapin Agile, Paris
2016
Left Sutton Courtney for a care home near London
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Portrait Busts
92. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Franz Kafka resin 57cm high Exhibited: This is most probably the figure exhibited at the Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1967 (134). £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
95. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Jackie Stewart, 1980 resin signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 1980’ 30cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1981 (71). £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
93. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Raymond Baxter, 1978 for Talking Heads plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 78’ 28 cm high
94. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Ted Moult, 1980 resin signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 1980’ 29cm high
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, 1978 (112); Society of Portrait Sculptors, FACE 2007 (58), illustrated p.78, resin bronze. £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1981 (72), resin bronze; Czech and Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechslovak Republic, London, 1992 (44) as Ted Moulder (sic), Farmer; Society of Portrait Sculptors, FACE 2006 (56), illustrated, p.8, resin bronze. £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
96. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Kenneth Kendall (BBC Newsreader) for Talking Heads and James Berwick plaster the former signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 1980’ 29cm high and 28cm high respectively (2)
97. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Paul Baco and Brian Murphy for Talking Heads resin each 28cm high, label to underside of plinth to each sculptor for ‘Exhibition Society of Portrait Sculptors’ for 1982 and 1983 respectively (2). £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Exhibited: (Kendall) Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1982 (88); (Berwick) Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1979 (32). £60-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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98. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Pope John Paul II, seated relief resin signed bottom left ‘SEDLECKA’ relief inscription along top ‘JOHN PAUL II LONDON MAY 1982’ 36.5cm x 21.5cm
99. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Patrick Anson, Earl of Lichfield, 1983 resin signed ‘SEDLECKA / 83’ 34cm high. £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1982 (89) as edition of 12 in resin bronze. £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
101. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Magnus Magnusson, 1983 for Talking Heads, plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 83’ 29cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1983 (96); Society of Portrait Sculptors, FACE 2007 (59) in resin bronze, illustrated, p.29. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
100. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Duncan Goodhew, Josef ‘Sepp’ Maier and one further portrait busts of a gentleman for Talking Heads resin, plaster, resin Goodhew signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 83’ and the unknown bust signed ‘SEDLECKA / 94’ 29cm high, 33cm high and 32cm high (3) Exhibited: (Maier) Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, FACE 2008 (47), plaster. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
102. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Heidi, 1985 plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 85’ 38cm high. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
103. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Sir Frank Whittle, 1987 resin signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 1987’ 54cm high, together with a plaster model, 51cm high (2) Commissioned by The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 1 April 1987. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
104. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) David Bellamy, 1989, plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 89’ 48cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, FACE 2009 (49), illustrated p.53, plaster. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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105. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Two portrait busts plaster each signed ‘SEDLECKA / 90’ together with three further plaster portrait busts the largest 31cm high (5). £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
106. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Josef Svoboda and a portrait bust of a lady plaster the former signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 97’ 52cm high and 37cm high (2) Exhibited: (Svoboda) Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1998 (55) as Prof. Josef Svoboda Hon. D. RCA, RDI. Josef Svoboda was a Czech artist and stage designer and this bust was commissioned for the Narodni Divadlo, Prague. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
107. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Caroline Harding plaster 60cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1998 (54). Caroline Harding has been Irena Sedlecka’s accountant. £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
108. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Portrait of Lady, 2008 plaster, with touches of colour signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 08’ 30cm high. £40-80 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
109. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Paula Fenwick, 2004 plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 04’ 65cm high including integral base Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, FACE 2005 (56), illustrated, p.41. Paula Fenwick is wife of Christopher Fenwick who played a leading role in the Beau Brummell commission. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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110. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Kore plaster 34cm high
111. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Dr Jan Hruschka plaster 44cm high
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, FACE 2008 (48), illustrated, p.51, plaster. £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, FACE 2010 (49), illustrated, p.16, plaster. £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
112. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Ken Dodd for Talking Heads resin signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 29cm high. £150-250 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
113. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Six portrait busts including Gerry Fishon, The Mother of the Artist, 1999 and John Howard Payne, 1980 plaster four signed ‘SEDLECKA’, one dated ‘09’ 26cm high, 37cm high, 28cm high, 30cm high, 31cm high, and 30cm high (6). £100-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
114. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Charlie Chaplin head, Jackie Stewart, one further miniature head of a gentleman and two relief plaques of John Paul II and a relief plaque of Mary Seacole five plaster and one resin Charlie Chaplin 7cm high and relief plaque of John Paul II 15cm high (6). £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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Actors & Singers
115. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Two models of Joan Sutherland as Lucia di Lammermoor plaster one signed ‘SEDLECKA / 92’ and the other ‘SEDLECKA / 98’ 44cm high and 43cm high (2)
117. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Maria Callas resin signed ‘SEDLECKA’ and indistinctly dated ‘86’ 25cm high. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
117A. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Maria Callas as Violetta and two models of Maria Callas as Norma for The Great Actors and Singers Series plaster the former signed and dated ‘Sedlecka / 86’ the latter two signed and dated ‘Sedlecka / 88’ 52cm high, 42cm high and 42cm high respectively (3). £150-250 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
119. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Maria Callas for The Great Actors and Singers Series plaster signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 26cm high. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
120. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Two models of Emma Destinn plaster and painted plaster one signed ‘SEDLECKA’ each 30cm high (2). £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
The former included in The Great Actors and Singers Series. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*) 116. See page 41
118. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Maria Callas as Norma, 1988 for The Great Actors ad Singers Series plaster signed ‘SEDLECKA / 88’ 42cm high . £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
121. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Emma Destinn and Mozart plaster signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 25cm high and 21cm high respectively (2) The latter for The Great Composers Series. £60-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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116. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Joan Sutherland as Lucia di Lammermoor, 1992 for The Great Actors and Singers Series bronze signed ‘SEDLECKA / 92’ AND ‘EA’ Pangolin Edition foundry mark 42cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, FACE 2011 (49), as The Late Dame Joan Sutherland, illustrated, p.75. £1000-2000 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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122. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Emmy Destinn - The Diva (18781930) plaster signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 78cm high
123. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Sir Lawrence Olivier as Oedipus, 1980 for The Great Actors and Singers Series plaster signed ‘SEDLECKA / 80’ 43cm high. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
124. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Two models of Olivier as Mr Puff, 1991 for The Great Actors and Singers Series resin and plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 91’ each 43cm high (2). £150-250 (plus 24% BP* ARR*) 125. See page 43
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1999 (58). The bronze cast is in the park of Straz nad Nezarkou castle which was the former summer house of Emmy Destinn and where she lived out her years under house arrest during the First World War. £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
128. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) John Gielgud as Hamlet, 1993 for The Great Actors and Singers Series plaster signed and dated ‘I SEDLECKA / 93’ 33cm high. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
126. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Paul Scofield as Salieri, 1992 for The Great Actors and Singers Series plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 92’ 44cm high. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
127. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) John Gielgud as Hamlet, 1993 for The Great Actors and Singers Series plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 93’ 33cm high. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
129. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) John Gielgud as Richard II, 1993 for The Great Actors and Singers Series plaster signed and dated ‘I SEDLECKA / 93’ 29.5cm high. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
130. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Ralph Richardson as Falstaff, 1994 for The Great Actors and Singers Series coloured plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 94’ 41cm high. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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125. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Paul Scofield as Salieri, 1992, for The Great Actors and Singers Series bronze signed ‘SEDLECKA / 92’ and numbered ‘1/3’ with Pangolin Editions foundry mark 43cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, FACE 2011 (50) as Antonio Salieri in the original stage production of Peter Schaffer’s Amadeus, illustrated, p.62, bronze. This was part of a series of figures by Sedlecká Great Actors and Singers, launched by Richard Bebb in 1994, cast in resin bronze, editions limited to 250, each figure individually numbered. However, work began on the first of the series in October 1992. £600-900 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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131. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Henry Irving for The Great Actors and Singers Series painted plaster signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 33cm high. £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
132. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Seated lady, possibly Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Ernest, 1996 plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 96’ 32.5 cm high. £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
133. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Sir Laurence Olivier and another portrait bust of a gentleman resin the former signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 85’ and the latter signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 94’ each 29cm high (2) The bust of Olivier is from the last life sitting done by him. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
134. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Sir Laurence Olivier and two further portrait busts of gentleman two plaster and one fibreglass the former signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 85’ and one signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 90’ 30cm high, 32cm high and 36cm high (3) The bust of Olivier is from the last life sitting done by him. £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
135. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Donald Sinden and Paul Eddington, 1984 for Talking Heads resin and plaster the former signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 1981’, the other signed ‘SEDLECKA’ each 30cm high (excluding threaded rod) (2) Exhibited: (Eddington) Society of Portrait Sculptors, 1984 (31), plaster; (Eddington) Society of Portrait Sculptors, FACE 2003 (59), illustrated, p.28, plaster. £200-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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136. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Nigel Hawthorne for Talking Heads plaster signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 31cm high Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1984 (50), plaster; Society of Portrait Sculptors, FACE 2003 (60), illustrated p.84, plaster. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*) 137. See page 46
138. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Kenneth Williams resin 32cm high. £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
139. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Two differing models of Charlie Chaplin, 1985 resin and plaster each signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 85’ 39cm high and 41cm high respectively (2). £200-400 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
139A. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Richard Briers and Jimmy Edwards for Talking Heads plaster each 29cm high (2). £70-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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137. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Kenneth Williams bronze signed ‘SEDLECKA’ and numbered ‘1/3’ foundry mark ‘PE’ for Pangolin Edition 32cm high
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Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1981 (73); Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, FACE 2000 (55). £1500-2500 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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Composers
140. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Beethoven resin signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 41cm high A Beethoven was exhibited at the Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1974 (88). £300-500 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
143. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Mozart for The Great Composers Series resin signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 22cm high. £40-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
145. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Mahler two relief plaques resin and plaster 28cm x 43cm (2). £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
141. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Beethoven plaster signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 22.5cm high. £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
142. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Bach plaster signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 22cm high, and another model in resin, 24cm high (2). £40-80
144. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Mahler for The Great Composers Series two plaster and two resin each signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 22cm high, 23cm high, 22cm high and 23cm high respectively (4). £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
146. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Johannes Brahms, two portrait busts, 1988 for The Great Composers Series plaster and resin each signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 88’ each 22cm high (2). £60-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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147. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Two models of Arnold Schonberg for The Great Composers Series resin and plaster each signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 25cm high and 23cm high respectively (2)
148. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Edward Elgar for The Great Composers Series plaster signed ‘SEDLECKA’ 21cm high. £60-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1978 (115), a bronze model exhibited. £60-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
149. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Benjamin Britten, 1984, for The Great Composer Series plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 84’ 26cm high together with another similar (2) Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, 1984 (32), resin bronze limited edition; Society of Portrait Sculptors, FACE 2012 (47), bronze edition, illustrated, p.56. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Figurative Works
152. See page 49 153. See page 50 154. See page 50 155. See page 51
150. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Socrates (British Museum Replica) and Solon composite and plaster 32.5cm high and 17.5cm high respectively (2). £50-100 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
151. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Three models after British Museum originals Chess-man king, archaic Greek head and Romanesque madonna and child terracota, plaster and resin respectively 11.5cm high, 22cm high and 28cm high respectively. £30-60 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
156. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Dancer high relief resin 35cm x 31cm overall. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
157. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Four dancing figures relief resin 31.5cm x 30cm. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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152. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Baudelaire, 1987 bronze signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA 87’ and numbered ‘1/3’ with Pangolin Editions foundry mark 72cm high £2500-3500 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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153. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Ophelia bronze signed ‘SEDLECKA’ and numbered ‘1/3’ with Pangolin Editions foundry mark 93cm high Exhibited: A resin bronze cast was exhibited at Czech and Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechslovak Republic, London, May 1992 (46). £3000-5000 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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154. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Expectation, Schonberg’s Erwartung (Expectation) bronze 89cm high Exhibited: Czech and Slovak Sculptors in Great Britain, Embassy of the Czechslovak Republic, London, 1992 (47), resin cast. £2000-3000 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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155. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Beau Brummell, 1994 resin signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 94’ 57cm high This is the model for the sculpture placed at the entrance to Piccadilly Arcade, Piccadilly, London, which was unveiled by HRH Princess Michael of Kent in November 2002. £200-300 (plus 24% BP* APR*)
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158. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Two standing nude figures bronze each signed ‘SEDLECKA’, one numbered ‘3/12’ and the other ‘6/12’ with Pangolin Editions foundry marks each 20cm high (2). £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
159. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Homage to Picasso resin signed ‘SEDLECKA’ and numbered ‘3’ 36cm high. £100-300 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
161. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Male Journalist resin 51cm high
162. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) The Meeting in the Cabaret Lapin Agile, Paris, 2011 plaster signed and dated ‘SEDLECKA / 11’ 51cm x 69cm 42. £100-200 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
Model of a figure for Canary Wharf. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
160. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) Female Journalist resin 54cm high Model of a figure for Canary Wharf. £80-120 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
163. Irena Sedlecka (b.1928) The Meeting in the Cabaret Lapin Agile, Paris, 2011 bronze 56.5cm x 74cm (including integral frame) Exhibited: Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, FACE 2011 (51) as Guillaume Apollinaire reciting poetry in the Cabaret Lapin Agile, Paris, early in the 20th Century, illustrated, p.54. The individuals portrayed were well-known members of the Parisian avant garde intellectual scene. £1500-2500 (plus 24% BP* ARR*)
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Sculpture Stands 164. John Tiranti Ltd. of London Scopas student sculpture stand height adjustable. £40-60 (plus 24% BP*) 165. Alec Tiranti Ltd. of London Two Scopas modelling sculpture stands height adjustable. £60-100 (plus 24% BP*) 166. Alec Tiranti Ltd. of London Two Scopas modelling sculpture stands height adjustable. £60-100 (plus 24% BP*)
167. Alec Tiranti Ltd. of London Sculpture stand with turntable top labelled 62cm square. £80-120 (plus 24% BP*) 168. Attributed to Alec Tiranti Ltd Sculpture stand with turntable top 61cm square. £50-100 (plus 24% BP*) 169. Sculpture modelling stand pine, with revolving top 44cm square. £50-100 (plus 24% BP*)
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CONDITIONS OF SALE Mallams carries on business with bidders, buyers and all those present in the auction room prior to or in connection with a sale on the following General Conditions and on such other terms, conditions and notices as may be referred to herein. 1. DEFINITIONS In these Conditions: (a) “auctioneer” means the firm of Mallams or its authorised auctioneer, as appropriate; (b) “deliberate forgery” means an imitation made with the intention of deceiving as to authorship, origin, date, age, period, culture or source but which is unequivocally described in the catalogue as being the work of a particular creator and which at the date of the sale had a value materially less than it would have had if it had been in accordance with the description; (c) “hammer price” means the level of bidding reached (at or above any reserve) when the auctioneer brings down the hammer; (d) “terms of consignment” means the stipulated terms and rates of commission on which Mallams accepts instructions from sellers or their agents; (e) “total amount due” means the hammer price in respect of the lot sold together with any premium, Value Added Tax chargeable and any additional charges payable by a defaulting buyer under these Conditions; (f) “sale proceeds” means the net amount due to the seller, being the hammer price of the lot sold less commission at the stated rate, Value Added Tax chargeable and any other amounts due to us by the seller in whatever capacity and however arising; (g) “You”, “Your”, etc. refer to the buyer as identified in Condition 2. (h) The singular includes the plural and vice versa as appropriate. 2. BIDDING PROCEDURES AND THE BUYER (a) Bidders are required to register their particulars before bidding and to satisfy any security arrangements before entering the auction room to view or bid; (b) the maker of the highest bid accepted by the auctioneer conducting the sale shall be the buyer at the hammer price and any dispute about a bid shall be settled at the auctioneer’s absolute discretion by reoffering the Lot during the course of the auction or otherwise. The auctioneer shall act reasonably in exercising this discretion. (c) Bidders shall be deemed to act as principals. (2) Our right to bid on behalf of the seller is expressly reserved up to the amount of any reserve and the right to refuse any bid is also reserved. (3)The Auctioneers reserve the right to charge a deposit for certain lots. These will be indicated before the sale. 3. INCREMENTS Bidding increments shall be at the auctioneer’s sole discretion. 4. THE PURCHASE PRICE The buyer shall pay the hammer price together with a premium thereon of 20%. This premium is subject to VAT at the rate imposed by law. 5. VALUE ADDED TAX Value Added Tax on the hammer price is imposed by law on all items affixed with an asterisk or double asterisk. Value Added Tax is charged at the appropriate rate prevailing by law at the date of sale and is payable by buyers of relevant Lots. (Please refer to “Information for Buyers” for a brief explanation of the VAT position). 6. PAYMENT (1) Immediately a Lot is sold you will: (a) give to us, if requested, proof of identity, and (b) pay to us the total amount due in cash or in such other way as is agreed by us. (2) Any payments by you to us may be applied by us towards any sums owing from you to us on any account whatever without regard to any directions of you or your agent, whether express or implied. 7. TITLE AND COLLECTION OF PURCHASES (1) The ownership of any Lots purchased shall not pass to you until you have made payment in full to us of the total amount due. (2) You shall at your own risk and expense take away any lots that you have purchased and paid for not later than 3 working days following the day of the auction or upon the clearance of any cheque used for payment after which you shall be responsible for any removal, storage and insurance charges. (3) No purchase can be claimed or removed until it has been paid for. 8. REMEDIES FOR NON-PAYMENT OR FAILURE TO COLLECT PURCHASES (1) If any Lot is not paid for in full and taken away in accordance with these Conditions or if there is any other breach of these Conditions, we, as agent for the seller and on our own behalf, shall at our absolute discretion and without prejudice to any other rights we may have, be entitled to exercise one or more of the following rights and remedies: (a) to proceed against you for damages for breach of contract; (b) to rescind the sale of that Lot and/or any other Lots sold by us to you; (c) to resell the Lot (by auction or private treaty) in which case you shall be responsible for any resulting deficiency in the total amount due (after crediting any part payment and adding any resale costs). Any surplus so arising shall belong to the seller; (d) to remove, store and insure the Lot at your expense and, in the case of storage, either at our premises or elsewhere; (e) to charge interest at a rate not exceeding 1.5% per month on the total amount due to the extent it remains unpaid for more than 3 working days after the sale; (f) to retain that or any other Lot sold to you until you pay the total amount due; (g) to reject or ignore bids from you or your agent at future auctions or to impose conditions before any such bids shall be accepted; (h) to apply any proceeds of sale of other Lots due or in future becoming due to you towards the settlement of the total amount due and to exercise a lien (that is a right to retain possession of) any of your property in our possession for any purpose until the debt due is satisfied. (2) We shall, as agent for the seller and on our own behalf pursue these rights and remedies only so far as is reasonable to make appropriate recovery in respect of breach of these conditions 9. THIRD PARTY LIABILITY All members of the public on our premises are there at their own risk and must note the lay-out of the accommodation and security arrangements. Accordingly neither the auctioneer nor our employees or agents shall incur liability for death or personal injury (except as required by law by reason of our negligence) or similarly for the safety of the property of persons visiting prior to or at a sale.
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10. COMMISSION AND TELEPHONE BIDS Whilst prospective buyers are strongly advised to attend the auction and are always responsible for any decision to bid for a particular Lot and shall be assumed to have carefully inspected and satisfied themselves as to its condition we will if so instructed clearly and in writing execute bids on their behalf or by telephone. Neither the auctioneer nor our employees or agents shall be responsible for any failure to do so save where such failure is unreasonable. Where two or more commission bids at the same level are recorded we reserve the right in our absolute discretion to prefer the first bid so made. 11. WARRANTY OF TITLE AND AVAILABILITY The seller warrants to the auctioneer and you that the seller is the true owner of the property consigned or is properly authorised by the true owner to consign it for sale and is able to transfer good and marketable title to the property free from any third party claims. 12. AGENCY The auctioneer normally acts as agent only and disclaims any responsibility for default by sellers or buyers. 13. TERMS OF SALE The seller acknowledges that Lots are sold subject to the stipulations of these Conditions in their entirety and on the Terms of Consignment as notified to the consignor at the time of the entry of the Lot. 14. DESCRIPTIONS AND CONDITION (1) Whilst we seek to describe lots accurately, it may be impractical for us to carry out exhaustive due diligence on each lot. Prospective buyers are given ample opportunities to view and inspect before any sale and they (and any independent experts on their behalf) must satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of any description applied to a lot. Prospective buyers also bid on the understanding that, inevitably, representations or statements by us as to authorship, genuineness, origin, date, age, provenance, condition or estimated selling price involve matters of opinion. We undertake that any such opinion shall be honestly and reasonably held and accept liability for opinions given negligently or fraudulently. Subject to the foregoing neither we the auctioneer nor our employees or agents nor the seller accept liability for the correctness of such opinions and all conditions and warranties, whether relating to description, condition or quality of lots, express, implied or statutory, are hereby excluded. This Condition is subject to the next following Condition concerning deliberate forgeries and applies save as provided for in paragraph 6 “information to buyers”. (2) Private treaty sales made under these Conditions are deemed to be sales by auction for purposes of consumer legislation. 15. FORGERIES Notwithstanding the preceding Condition, any Lot which proves to be a deliberate forgery (as defined) may be returned to us by you within 21 days of the auction provided it is in the same condition as when bought, and is accompanied by particulars identifying it from the relevant catalogue description and a written statement of defects. If we are satisfied from the evidence presented that the Lot is a deliberate forgery we shall refund the money paid by you for the Lot including any buyer’s premium provided that (1) if the catalogue description reflected the accepted view of scholars and experts as at the date of sale or (2) you personally are not able to transfer a good and marketable title to us, you shall have no rights under this condition. The right of return provided by this Condition is additional to any right or remedy provided by law or by these Conditions of Sale. GENERAL 16. We shall have the right at our discretion, to refuse admission to our premises or attendance at our auctions by any person. 17 (1) any right to compensation for losses liabilities and expenses incurred in respect of and as a result of any breach of these Conditions and any exclusions provided by them shall be available to the seller and/or the auctioneer as appropriate. (2). Such rights and exclusions shall extend to and be deemed to be for the benefit of employees and agents of the seller and/or the auctioneer who may themselves enforce them. 18. Any notice to any buyer, seller, bidder or viewer may be given by first class mail or Swiftmail in which case it shall be deemed to have been received by the addressee 48 hours after posting. 19. Special terms may be used in catalogue descriptions of particular classes of items in which case the descriptions must be interpreted in accordance with any glossary appearing at the commencement of the catalogue. 20. Any indulgence extended to bidders buyers or sellers by us notwithstanding the strict terms of these Conditions or of the Terms of Consignment shall affect the position at the relevant time only and in respect of that particular concession only; in all other respects these Conditions shall be construed as having full force and effect. 21. English law applies to the interpretation of these Conditions. ENDANGERED SPECIES LAWS Due to international laws, any item on the Endangered species list (i.e. Ivory, Rhino horn etc.), whether it dates from the 18th/19th Century or the 1930s, requires re-export permits for bidders outside the EU (CITES). Some countries also require import permits as well and all permits must be in place prior to shipment. Mallams cannot be held liable if a purchaser buys a lot that comes within this field and then import/export licences cannot be arranged. Certain countries, particularly the USA, have their own Endangered Species Act (USESA) and possession or being involved in a commercial transaction with any item on this list can be an offence for a US resident. Therefore, it is the potential buyers responsibility to check Federal regulations before bidding for a lot, which comes under these or similar regulations. Please note no license is required to sell or advertise within the EU if items are pre-1947. ONLINE BIDDING Mallams Fine Art Auctioneers offer an online bidding service via the-saleroom.com for bidders who cannot attend the sale. In completing the bidder registration on www.the-saleroom.com and providing your credit card details and unless alternative arrangements are agreed with Mallams Fine Art Auctioneers, you: 1. authorise Mallams Fine Art auctioneers, if they so wish, to charge the credit card given in part or full payment, including all fees, for items successfully purchased in the auction via the-saleroom.com, and 2. confirm that you are authorised to provide these credit card details to Mallams Fine Art Auctioneers through www.the-saleroom.com and agree that Mallams Fine art Auctioneers are entitled to ship the goods to the card holder name and card holder address provided in fulfilment of the sale. Please note that any lots purchased via the-saleroom.com live auction service will be subject to an additional 3% commission charge + VAT at the rate imposed on the hammer price.
THE ART OF THE SURREAL
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MODERN BRITISH ART Friday 26 May 2017
featuring Dora Carrington, Simon Bussy, Frances Hodgkins, Alan Davie, Ivon Hitchens, Alexander Calder, Eduardo Paolozzi, Desmond Morris, Cecil Collins, Oscar Mellor, Salvador Dali and Geoffrey Clarke
For more information contact Philip Smith on 01865 241358 or philip.smith@mallams.co.uk Appointments available nationwide Mallams Auctioneers / Bocardo House St Michael’s Street / Oxford OX1 2EB www.mallams.co.uk
Mallams 1788
DIRECTIONS TO ST. MICHAEL’S STREET Contrary to current thinking it is still possible to approach Mallams, St. Michael’s Street office by car Follow these simple instructions, ideally with a map to hand:
BANB URY
ST GILES
WALTON ST
BEAUMONT ST
Buses only
BROAD ST
BUS STATION
T GE S E BRID HYTH
ST KET
HIGH ST
N ST
E QUE
COUNTY HALL
RF
OL
ST ALDATES
KS
T
TOWN HALL
NO
OX PE NS RD
Eastern Zone Entry/Exit Point
SPEEDWELL ST
Southern Zone Entry/Exit Point
TH AM E
S
POLICE STATION
S
56
ABINGDON RD
T
FOLLY BRIDGE
Southern Zone Exit only
LO
T S KET MAR
M AR
N COR
RD
INN
W
Western Zone Entry/Exit Point
NEW
PARK END ST
NE
ST EL’S ICHA ST. M
LS HAL
T
GEO
L ST TUR
ST RGE
NG WA LL ST
OXFORD RAIL STATION
BECKET ST
Northern Zone Entry/Exit Point
MARTYRS’ MEMORIAL
Mallams
BOTLEY RD
RD
RD OCK DST WOO
From the North or East travel down Beaumont Street or Walton Street into Hythe Bridge Street and at The Royal Oxford Hotel and a complicated set of lights turn left into Park End Street (access only). Bear left into Worcester Street and right at the next set of lights into George Street - 1st right into New Inn Hall Street - 1st left into St. Michael’s Street. From the South turn right from Oxpens Road into Park End Street and from the West via Botley Road dog leg right. One small problem between 10am - 6pm there is no access into Cornmarket and vehicles over 5m in length are not permitted. We recommend that vans reverse into the street and others practice three point turns! Welcome.
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The Atelier Sale of Franta Belsky Mallams 1788 and Irena Sedlecka
25 April 2017 Oxford