 During 1903 to 1906 he studied pottery at the Škola výtvarných umění (School of Creative Arts) in the town of Bechyně.From 1906 to 1909 he studied in the figurative and ornamental modelling department of the Umělecko-průmyslová škola (College of Decorative Arts) in Prague.Gutfreund discovered the works of the French sculptor Antoine Bourdelle during his 1909 exhibition in Prague organized by the artistic group SVU Mánes.