Béla Bartók, South Kensington

Image: © A J Paxton Taken: 31 May 2025

This statue of the Hungarian composer stands by the curve of the Old Brompton Road near South Kensington station, not far from the house where he stayed on visits to London. Composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist, Bartók is one of the greatest figures of 20th century music. See Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9la_Bart%C3%B3k . On the base is the inscription: 'Erected by the Peter Warlock Society in conjunction with the Hungarian Cultural Centre. The English composer Peter Warlock was instrumental in bringing Bartók to London for the first time in 1922. From then until 1937, Bartók always stayed in London with Sir Duncan and Lady Wilson at 7 Sydney Place, 230 yards in front of this statue where an English Heritage Blue Plaque commemorates his visit.' A granite monument nearby also records that the statue is the work of the Hungarian sculptor Imre Varga. On Peter Warlock, see Image For the Bartók blue plaque, see Image

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