Otakar Španiel

Otakar Španiel was a sculptor, wood carver and medal artist. First, he attended a technical school in Jablonec nad Nisou. From 1899, he was educated at the academy in Wien (Vienna) and by famous sculptor J. V. Myslbek, professor in Praha (Prague), later also with Alexandre Charpentier in Paris. As a professor he taught at the School of Applied Arts beginning in 1917 and two years later at the Academy in Praha. During the German occupation, he was interned in a concentration camp near Svatobořice. Španiel’s style was based on Art Nouveau and then on Neoclassicism. After World War II, he was an official state artist. Španiel was best known for his frequent medal works illustrating Czech VIPs. One of these medals with the face of J. E. Purkyně became the template for a stamp series in 1937. He designed the first Czech coins after World War II and also created his own grave at the famous Prague cemetery Vyšehrad. Some of his works, mainly gold medals and coins, were presented in the exhibition “Czech Gold” in Prague in 2009-10 at the Czech Club of the Municipal House at Prague.

In 1912 he took part under the flag of Bohemia, a part of Austria-Hungary, and in 1936 under that of Czechoslovakia. In 1936 he entered the ČSOV Challenge Award, which bears the name of Bohemian-Czech Olympic pioneer Jiří Guth-Jarkovský. It was awarded from 1934-48 – interrupted by the war – for exceptional sporting achievements, then again from 1994 after a restoration. The trophy consists of a silver statuette of the goddess of victory Nike holding a laurel branch on a marble base. It is decorated with a plaque with a relief portrait by Jiří Guth-Jarkovský.