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LEVY, Vaclav - b. 1820 Nebreziny, d. 1870 Pilsen - WGA

LEVY, Vaclav

(b. 1820 Nebreziny, d. 1870 Pilsen)

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.

Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve by

Adam and Eve

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Fantastic Heads
Fantastic Heads by

Fantastic Heads

Vaclav Levy was a Czech sculptor, the last distinguished traditionalist. He carved amazing heads out of the living rock in the forest of Libechov in Bohemia. His images are so powerful and savage that they seem to transcend cultural specifics and emerge as timeless primal expressions.

Libechov is a village, a few kilometres north of Melnik. In this village a Baroque chateau, constructed in the 18th century, replaced an original late Gothic fortress. The chateau came into the possession of the noble Veith family in 1801. The family originally hired Vaclav Levy as a cook, but his sandstone sculptures (“Mary Magdalene,” “The Harpist,” “The Snake,” and “Klacelka”) now dot the area and are often the goal of touristic walks.

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Fantastic Heads (Devil's Heads)
Fantastic Heads (Devil's Heads) by

Fantastic Heads (Devil's Heads)

Vaclav Levy was a Czech sculptor, the last distinguished traditionalist. He carved amazing heads out of the living rock in the forest of Libechov in Bohemia. His images are so powerful and savage that they seem to transcend cultural specifics and emerge as timeless primal expressions.

Libechov is a village, a few kilometres north of Melnik. In this village a Baroque chateau, constructed in the 18th century, replaced an original late Gothic fortress. The chateau came into the possession of the noble Veith family in 1801. The family originally hired Vaclav Levy as a cook, but his sandstone sculptures (“Mary Magdalene,” “The Harpist,” “The Snake,” and “Klacelka”) now dot the area and are often the goal of touristic walks.

Send Postcard Learn More
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