Brno residents will see proposals for a equestrian statue of Margrave Jošt

Brno - People will be able to see how more than 50 artists envision the equestrian statue of Margrave Jošt of Luxembourg (1351 to 1411). The designs for the statue for Brno’s Moravian Square, submitted by artists to a competition organized by the city, will be exhibited by the Brno Cultural Center (BKC) in its gallery on Radnická Street.
    The statue of the margrave was meant to become a dominant feature of Moravian Square, creating a whole with three other statues referencing Plato's cardinal virtues - Courage, Justice, Temperance, and Prudence. The initiators of the idea planned to unveil the equestrian statue for about ten million crowns on October 1, 2010, the anniversary of the 600th anniversary of Jošt’s election as King of the Romans. However, it will not be finished by that date. This week, the city council confirmed Kotrba as the winner of the artistic competition, but did not assign him the actual work. The council will address the issue at one of its future meetings.
    According to BKC staff, there will be 44 designs on display from more than 50 submitted to the competition. "It offers an interesting comparison of authors' approaches to the assigned task, ranging from historicizing concepts to abstract positions," the center stated. Among the exhibited models, people will also find three that were awarded by the jury. In addition to Kotrba's design, the second-best comes from the authors Štěpán Dokoupil, Jiří Hlušička, and Petr Mack, and the third awarded design is from Michal Gabriel.
    The exhibition will start on Tuesday, June 16, and will last until the end of July.