David Černý’s statue of Olympic legend now on display in Prague

A new work of art by Czech artist David Černý, in honour of the legendary Czech gymnast Věra Čáslavská, has been set up in Prague’s Malá Strana. The kinetic statue, which is ten metres high, was first exhibited at the recent Olympic Games in Paris, where it stood in front of the Czech House. Now it is available to view in the grounds of Tyrš House, home of the Sokol movement, in the Újezd neighbourhood.

The components of the statue move to resemble the motions of Čáslavská, an international champion in gymnastics and winner of seven Olympic medals. Čáslavská and Černý worked together in the creation of the piece, which they hoped would made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Čáslavská did not live to see its completion. The statue, named Věra, is dedicated to her memory, and stands fittingly outside the headquarters of the Sokol organisation, since Čáslavská herself trained in Sokol halls. This year marks 60 years since her first Olympic gold medal win at the 1964 Tokyo games.