About Heinz Warneke
Heinrich Johann Dietrich "Heinz" Warneke (June 30, 1895 – August 16, 1983) was a German-born American sculptor, best remembered as an animalier, or sculptor of animals. His role in the direct carving movement "assured him a place in the annals of 20th-century American sculpture." Warneke created a large number of works for the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. These include the Last Supper Tympanum over the South Portal, the Saint Alban trumeau figure, and more than ninety minor works: sculpted column capitals, bosses, corbels, keystones, heads, flowers, etc. The Prodigal Son (1932–39), one of his most touching sculptures, is located in the Bishop's Garden. Warneke's works are in the collections of American art museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Chrysler Museum of Art. His animal sculptures are in the National Zoo and the Philadelphia Zoo, and in sculpture gardens such as Brookgreen Gardens. Warneke's most famous work is the Nittany Lion (1942) at Pennsylvania State University. Warneke had his first American exhibition at the St. After winning first prize at the Corcoran Gallery of Art's 1943 Artists Annual Show in Washington, D.C., he became head of sculpture at the Corcoran's school.
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