Jean Dušek

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameJan Vítězslav "Jean"•Dušek
Used nameJean•Dušek
Born8 June 1891 in Makov, Jistebnice, Jihočeský kraj (CZE)
Died2 March 1966 in Tábor, Jihočeský kraj (CZE)
NOC Czechoslovakia

Biography

Jean Dušek first attended the Hořice School of Sculpture and then studied at the art academies in Praha and Wien in 1914 and in the early 1920s at the Académie de la grand Chaumiere in Paris. He also studied with Émile Antoine Bourdelle in Paris before returning to Prague in 1924. He later stayed in Bruxelles and London for longer periods and also traveled to Italy and Germany. Dušek was a sculptor, stonemason, and medalist. His son Jan (1936-1993) also became a sculptor. Jean created numerous busts and monuments of important personalities as well as allegorical figures. In 1921 he won first prize for the medal of the Young Workers’ Olympics. He was a close friend of the famous Czech photographer Josef Jindřich Šechtl (1877–1954).

In 1924, Dušek entered the Archer and the Winner at the Finish. The latter actually bore the name Sokol Athlete and was created in 1924. The sculpture, which is over 1 m high, was produced on the occasion of a Sokol Sport Meeting in the city of Tábor, where he built his studio in 1922. Photos of the art exhibition in Berlin confirm that the sculpture titled Venture in the catalog is actually his Hercules sculpture, one of his most famous works. In contrast to the date 1936 mentioned in the catalog, the 112 x 48 x 17 cm sized bronze statue was probably made about 10 years earlier. Dušek visited the Games in Berlin together with photographer Šechtl, who took photos of the sculpture in the exhibition.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1924 Summer Olympics Art Competitions TCH Jean Dušek
Sculpturing, Open (Olympic) AC
Sculpturing, Open (Olympic) AC
1936 Summer Olympics Art Competitions TCH Jean Dušek
Sculpturing, Statues, Open (Olympic) AC