Heinz Warneke (June 30, 1895 – 1983) was an American sculptor best remembered as an

animalier An animalier (, ) is an artist, mainly from the 19th century, who specializes in, or is known for, skill in the realistic portrayal of animals. "Animal painter" is the more general term for earlier artists. Although the work may be in any genre ...

; his role in the

direct carving This page describe terms and jargon related to sculpture and sculpting. __NOTOC__ A armature :An armature is an internal frame or skeleton which supports a modelled sculpture. A typical armature for a small sculpture is made of heavy gauge ...

movement "assured him a place in the annals of 20th-century American sculpture". In 1935 Heinz received the

Widener Gold Medal The George D. Widener Memorial Gold Medal was a prestigious sculpture prize awarded by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1913 to 1968. Established in 1912, it recognized the "most meritorious work of Sculpture modeled by an American cit ...

for his sculpture ''Wild Boars''.

Biography

The artist was born Heinrich Johann Dietrich Warneke in Hagen bei Leeste, a small village near

Bremen, Germany Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

and pursued his art studies at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. There his teachers included

Karl Blossfeldt Karl Blossfeldt (June 13, 1865December 9, 1932) was a German photographer and sculptor. He is best known for his close-up photographs of plants and living things, published in 1929 as ''Urformen der Kunst''. He was inspired, as was his father, b ...

. During World War I, Warneke was a member of the German Monuments Commission but later moved to New York in 1923. He spent the years 1927–1932 in Paris creating a social realism, art-deco and primitivism sculptural style. When he returned to the United States, Warneke undertook multiple commissions for the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

. He shared his skills with young art students by teaching sculpture at various institutions. From 1943 to 1968, Warneke taught in Washington, D.C. at the

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

and the

Corcoran School of Art The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design (known as the Corcoran School or CSAD) is the professional art school of the George Washington University, in Washington, DC.Peggy McGloneUniversity names first director of Corcoran School of the Arts and ...

. Warneke died in Connecticut in 1983.

Selected works

* Wild Boars,

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

, Washington, D.C., about 1931. * ''The Prodigal Son'',

National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the ca ...

, Washington, D.C., 1932–39. * ''The Immigrant'', Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial,

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1933. * ''Bears Playing'',

Harlem River Houses The Harlem River Houses is a New York City Housing Authority public housing complex between 151st Street, 153rd Street, Macombs Place, and the Harlem River Drive in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The complex, which cov ...

, New York City, 1938. *

Nittany Lion Shrine The Nittany Lion Shrine is a large mountain lion sculpture carved by Heinz Warneke located at the University Park campus of Pennsylvania State University. History 20th century The Nittany Lion Shrine at Pennsylvania State University was ded ...

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

, State College, Pennsylvania, 1942. * ''African Elephant and Calf'',

Philadelphia Zoo The Philadelphia Zoo, located in the Centennial District of Philadelphia on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, is the first true zoo in the United States. It was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 21, 1859, but its openin ...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1962. * ''Elegance''

Washington, D.C. 1927 * ''Express Mail Carrier''

Washington, D.C. 1936 File:The Prodigal Son - Washington Natl Cathedral.jpg, ''The Prodigal Son'' (1932–39),

, Washington, D.C. File:Samuel Memorial Immigrant.JPG, ''The Immigrant'' (1933),

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. File:Warneke-Bears-Playing.jpg, ''Bears Playing'' (1938),

, New York City. File:Sculpture "Lewis & Clark Expedition," by Heinz Warneke at the Department of Interior Building, Washington, D.C LCCN2013634541.tif, ''Lewis & Clark Expedition'' (1939),

Main Interior Building The Main Interior Building, officially known as the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building, located in Washington, D.C., is the headquarters of the United States Department of the Interior. Located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood ...

, Washington, D.C. File:Lion Shrine PSU.jpg,

(1942),

, State College, Pennsylvania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warneke, Heinz Animal artists 1895 births 1983 deaths German emigrants to the United States 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American male sculptors Treasury Relief Art Project artists Section of Painting and Sculpture artists