Czech sculptor, university lecturer and a leading representative of so-called social and civilist sculpture.

Born Jan Louda, he adopted the surname Lauda in 1923. His first sculptural works were created when he was an apprentice at the stonemasonry workshop of Prague’s St Vitus Cathedral under the guidance of Stanislav Sucharda. From 1913 to 1914, he studied at the Prague School of Applied Arts with the sculptor and glyptic artist Josef Drahoňovský. He was then drafted into military service and following his return from the front in 1917, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in the studio of Jan Štursa, graduating under him in 1922. From 1921, he shared a studio with Otto Gutfreund and collaborated with Jan Štursa on his commissions.

In the early 1920s, he undertook study trips to Germany, the Netherlands, France and Italy, and shortly before World War II, he visited France and the Soviet Union.

His early work focused on social themes (Myčka, 1923) and female nudes, drawing inspiration from the work of Jan Štursa. In his reliefs, he primarily employed expressionist forms. He is also known for his animal sculptures (Lachtan, 1936) and is considered one of the most important representatives of this genre in the Czech lands. Throughout his career, he favoured plaster and fired clay, which he also coloured. After 1945, his work turned mainly towards portraiture.

For Německý (Havlíčkův) Brod, he created the relief for the portal of the administrative building of the Provincial Institute for the Mentally Ill (1931).

In addition to his artistic work, he was also active in teaching. Between 1937 and 1946, he was a professor at the Prague School of Applied Arts. In 1946, he was appointed professor of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, a position he held until his death in 1959. He received numerous national and international awards for his work.

In 1922, he co-founded the socially oriented New Group, and from 1923 he was a member of the Mánes Association of Fine Artists.