Jaroslav Brůha (1889 - 1969)

Jaroslav Brůha was born in 1889 in Prague. At the age of six he lost an eye during a childhood game. He trained as a plasterer. From 1908 to 1911 he graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts. He then entered the Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied under Josef Myslbek and Stanislav Suchard. He was close to Sokol. He created two sandstone reliefs for the Tyrš House in Prague, and he also created a number of plaques and medals with sports themes. Despite the Art Nouveau inspiration from Suchard, he remained a realist. After the war and the banning of Sokol, he devoted himself mainly to sculpture. He created a monument to the Red Army for the Olšany Cemetery, and busts of Josef Zítek and S. K. Neumann. One of his last works is the Dukla Commemorative Medal from 1959. He died in 1969.