Clement John Barnhorn (1857–1935) was an American sculptor and educator known for his memorials,

architectural sculpture Architectural sculpture is the use of sculptural techniques by an architect and/or sculptor in the design of a building, bridge, mausoleum or other such project. The sculpture is usually integrated with the structure, but freestanding works that ...

, and ecclesiastic and funerary works.

Early years

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio Barnhorn began his art studies at the

Art Academy of Cincinnati The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design in Cincinnati, Ohio, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. It was founded as the McMicken School of Design in 1869, and was a department of the U ...

where he studied under Italian sculptor Lewis T. Rebisso and woodcarver Henry L. Fry. This was followed by studies in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

at the Académie Julien under Bouguereau, Peuch and Mercié. Barnhorn's sculptures were executed in stone or metal, or in ceramic faience for Rookwood Pottery. His "Magdalen" received Honorable Mention at the Paris Salon in 1895, and bronze at the Paris Exposition in 1900. He also won medals at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901 and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904. Barnhorn returned to teach at the Art Academy in 1900 to succeed his mentor, Rebisso, who had died. He served as head of the academy's sculpture department, and as the Art Museum's honorary curator of sculpture, positions he held until his death in 1935. His relationship with

Frank Duveneck Frank Duveneck (né Decker; October 9, 1848 – January 3, 1919) was an American figure and portrait painter. Early life Duveneck was born in Covington, Kentucky, the son of German immigrant Bernhard Decker. Decker died in a cholera epidemic whe ...

went beyond friendship. Barnhorn invited Duveneck to his Pike Street studio and provided tools and guidance in the memorial sculpture to Duveneck's wife (1891). The two shared the third-floor studio space in the Art Museum, and collaborated on several pieces. Barnhorn created the memorial for Duveneck (1924-1925) on his tomb in Mother of God Cemetery in Covington. A remarkable number of Barnhorn's works can be found around Cincinnati. Barnhorn was a renowned ecclesiastic sculptor, noted for "Madonna and Child" and "The Assumption of Mary into Heaven" at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky, and the "Crucifixion Group" at St. Monica-St. George Church in University Heights. He assisted Rebisso on the William Henry Harrison statue in Piatt Park, and carved the soldier statues on the frieze above Memorial Hall. He won medals at both the

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood A ...

in Buffalo in 1901 and at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in

St Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

in 1904. Barnhorn was a member of the

National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members ...

and exhibited a work, ''Madonna'', at their 1923 exhibition.

Selected works

* Memorial to Elizabeth Boott Duveneck, Allori Cemetery, Florence, Italy 1891 ::This work was created for the wife of American artist

* Ralph Waldo Emerson,

Cincinnati Art Museum The Cincinnati Art Museum is an art museum in the Eden Park neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies, and is one of the oldest in the United States. Its collection of ov ...

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

1905 * Veteran's Memorial Statuary,

Hamilton County Memorial Building The Hamilton County Memorial Building, more commonly called Memorial Hall, is located at Elm & Grant Streets, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The building is next to Cincinnati's Music Hall and across from Washington Park in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. ...

, Cincinnati, Ohio 1908 * Crucifixion Scene, Mother of God Cemetery, Covington, Kentucky, 1915 ::Barnhorn's memorial to his friend

is in the same cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnhorn, Clement 1857 births 1935 deaths Artists from Cincinnati American architectural sculptors American male sculptors American people of Swiss descent 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists National Sculpture Society members Sculptors from Ohio