Heinz Warneke
- Born
- Bremen, Germany
- Died
- Madison, Connecticut, United States
- Active in
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- East Haddam, Connecticut, United States
- New York, New York, United States
- Biography
Sculptor Heinz Warneke was born in Germany and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin and other German art schools. After immigrating to the United States, he won numerous awards for his work and many commissions. For the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., he created a granite sculpture, Prodigal Son, in addition to the tympanum and clerestory decoration. Warneke was particularly well known for his animal sculptures, among which was the elephant group for the Philadelphia Zoo. From 1943 to 1968 he taught at the Corcoran School of Art and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
National Museum of American Art (CD-ROM) (New York and Washington D.C.: MacMillan Digital in cooperation with the National Museum of American Art, 1996)
- Luce Artist BiographyHeinz Warneke’s artistic contribution was twofold. As a gifted sculptor, he used direct carving and casting to create works for many sites across the United States, including a series of statues for the Harlem River Houses, a public housing project in New York City, and a sculpture of the Nittany Lion, the mascot of Pennsylvania State University. Warneke was also an educator. From 1943 to 1968, he taught at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC, where he helped shape a generation of sculptors.