Mario Joseph Korbel (1882-1954) was one of the most respected American sculptors of the early twentieth century, whose refined neoclassical bronzes of idealized female nudes established him as a distinctive voice within the American Beaux-Arts tradition. Born in Bohemia in 1882, in territory that would later become part of Czechoslovakia, he pursued his earliest artistic training in his native country before emigrating to the United States at the age of eighteen, settling initially in Chicago.

After five years in America, Korbel returned to Europe for a more extensive artistic education. He studied at the Royal Academy in Berlin and at the academy in Munich, and he completed his training at the Académie Julian in Paris, one of the most respected private studios for international students of the period. This thoroughly international education gave him the technical range and cultivated sensibility that would define his mature practice, combining the refined draftsmanship of the French academic tradition with the classical monumentality of the German schools.

Korbel returned to the United States and spent time in New York City and Chicago before settling permanently in New York in 1913. During the 1920s his most significant sponsor was George Booth, the owner of the Detroit News, whose patronage helped establish Korbel's reputation among leading American collectors. He worked primarily in bronze, often experimenting with the medium and pursuing new patinas and textures. He most frequently depicted idealized female nudes, and he worked in the neoclassical style that had shaped his European training.

Korbel was elected an Associate Member of the National Academy of Design in 1937 and a full Member in 1944, one of the highest recognitions available to an American sculptor of his era. His works are held in numerous public collections, and he completed important commissions for the state of Illinois, the McPhee Memorial in Denver, the University of Havana in Cuba, the Czech National Council, and the British-American Ambulance Corps.Mario Joseph Korbel was born in Bohemia, later a part of Czechoslovakia, in 1882. He studied art there, and at the age of 18 came to the United States and settled in Chicago. After five years he returned to Europe, studying in Berlin, at the Royal Academy, Munich, and in Paris at the Academie Julian. He returned to the United States, spending time in New York City, Chicago, and eventually in 1913 he settled in New York. During the 1920s, Korbel’s most significant sponsor was George Booth, the owner of the Detroit News.

He worked in bronze, often experimenting with this media, trying new patinas and textures. He often depicted idealized female nudes, and worked in the neoclassical style. Korbel was an Associate Member of the National Academy of Design, 1937; and full member of the Nation Academy of Design, 1944. His works are in a number of public collections, and he completed commissions for the state of Illinois, the McPhee Memorial in Denver, the University of Havana, Cuba, the Czech National Council, and the British-American Ambulance Corps.