LEVY, Vaclav
Czech sculptor, one of the pioneers of the modern style in his country. He showed an early aptitude for carving, creating several figures of the Virgin Mary and crucifixes. He was sent away for an education, first to the Abbey in Pilsen, then to the Augustinian Monastery in Schlüsselburg, where he became a cook. In 1845, Levy began creating the reliefs on a wooded hill near Liboch that are now known as Klácelka.
He went to Munich for studies with Ludwig Schwanthaler, where he was taught the Academic style. It was here that he produced one of his best-known works, Adam and Eve in 1849. After 1853 he received a stipend to study in Rome. This proved to be his most fruitful and his contacts in Rome led to several large commissions in Vienna.