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The Most Famous

SCULPTORS from Germany

This page contains a list of the greatest German Sculptors. The pantheon dataset contains 189 Sculptors, 15 of which were born in Germany. This makes Germany the birth place of the 5th most number of Sculptors behind Greece and United States.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary German Sculptors of all time. This list of famous German Sculptors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of German Sculptors.

1. Veit Stoss (1450 - 1533)

With an HPI of 59.50, Veit Stoss is the most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages on wikipedia.

Veit Stoss (also: Veit Stoß and Stuoss; Polish: Wit Stwosz; Latin: Vitus Stoss; before 1450 – about 20 September 1533) was a leading German sculptor, mostly working with wood, whose career covered the transition between the late Gothic and the Northern Renaissance. His style emphasized pathos and emotion, helped by his virtuoso carving of billowing drapery; it has been called "late Gothic Baroque". He had a large workshop, and in addition to his own works there are a number by pupils. He is best known for the altarpiece in St. Mary's Basilica in Kraków, Poland.

2. Tilman Riemenschneider (1460 - 1531)

With an HPI of 58.91, Tilman Riemenschneider is the 2nd most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Tilman Riemenschneider (c. 1460 – 7 July 1531) was a German sculptor and woodcarver active in Würzburg from 1483. He was one of the most prolific and versatile sculptors of the transition period between the Late Gothic, to which he essentially belonged, and Northern Renaissance art, a master in stone and limewood. He was also a local politician in the council of Würzburg. Most of his subjects are religious, including several very large and spectacular carved wood altarpieces, as well as tombs in stone, and statues. He was largely forgotten soon after his death, but rediscoved by art historians in the 19th century.

3. Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736 - 1783)

With an HPI of 57.49, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt is the 3rd most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (February 6, 1736 – August 19, 1783) was a German-Austrian sculptor most famous for his "character heads", a collection of busts with faces contorted in extreme facial expressions.

4. Igor Mitoraj (1944 - 2014)

With an HPI of 56.46, Igor Mitoraj is the 4th most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Igor Mitoraj (Polish pronunciation: [ˈiɡɔr miˈtɔraj]; 26 March 1944 – 6 October 2014) was a Polish artist and sculptor. Known for his fragmented sculptures of the human body often created for large-scale public installations, he is considered one of the most internationally recognized Polish sculptors.

5. Johann Gottfried Schadow (1764 - 1850)

With an HPI of 55.64, Johann Gottfried Schadow is the 5th most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Johann Gottfried Schadow (20 May 1764 – 27 January 1850) was a German Prussian sculptor. His most iconic work is the chariot on top of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, executed in 1793 when he was still only 29.

6. Adolf von Hildebrand (1847 - 1921)

With an HPI of 54.90, Adolf von Hildebrand is the 6th most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Adolf von Hildebrand (6 October 1847 – 18 January 1921) was a German sculptor.

7. Christian Daniel Rauch (1777 - 1857)

With an HPI of 53.73, Christian Daniel Rauch is the 7th most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Christian Daniel Rauch (2 January 1777 – 3 December 1857) was a German sculptor. He founded the Berlin school of sculpture, and was the foremost German sculptor of the 19th century.

8. Adam Kraft (1450 - 1509)

With an HPI of 53.01, Adam Kraft is the 8th most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Adam Kraft (or Krafft) (c. 1460? – January 1509) was a German stone sculptor and master builder of the late Gothic period, based in Nuremberg and with a documented career there from 1490. It is not known where Kraft was born and raised; his hand has been claimed to be evident as an assistant in works in Ulm Minster (completed 1471) and the pulpit at Strasbourg Cathedral, completed in 1485. Kraft is believed to have married twice, but is not known to have produced any children. All his known works are in stone, but he may also have carved unidentified pieces in wood. His masterpiece is considered to be the 18.7 meters (61 feet) tall tabernacle at St. Lorenz, Nuremberg. The tabernacle, that has the shape of a gothic tower reaching into the church's vault, is made up of tracery interspersed with figural scenes from Christ's Passion and was commissioned in 1493 by Hans Imhoff, a patrician from Nuremberg. The contract for the commission was preserved and stipulates details about the execution and finish of the work. The stone tower, which is supported by three figures, was lightly damaged during World War II and restored afterwards. One of the supporting figures is a self-portrait by Kraft (at right). Another important work is a huge relief of 1490-92 depicting the Crucifixion, Entombment of Christ, and Resurrection of Christ, on the exterior of St. Sebaldus Church, Nuremberg. Kraft is believed to have completed all of his sculpting work in Nuremberg and its environs in Bavaria, between the years 1490 and 1509, working with only a small complement of two or three assistants. His other significant works were the monumental reliefs in the various churches in Nuremberg. He produced the great Schreyer monument in 1492 for St. Sebaldus Church and Christ bearing the Cross above the altar of the same church. He also made various works for public and private buildings, such as the relief over the door of the Wagehaus, a Saint George and the Dragon, several Madonnas, and other purely decorative pieces. The great tabernacle, covered in statuettes, in Ulm Minster, and the very spirited Stations of the Cross, on the road to the Nuremberg cemetery, are also his. He is buried in nearby Schwabach. Many of his pieces are exhibited at the Nuremberg museum, the Germanisches Nationalmuseum.

9. Rebecca Horn (1944 - )

With an HPI of 50.84, Rebecca Horn is the 9th most famous German Sculptor. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Rebecca Horn (born 24 March 1944, in Michelstadt, Hesse) is a German visual artist, who is best known for her installation art, film directing, and her body modifications such as Einhorn (Unicorn), a body-suit with a very large horn projecting vertically from the headpiece. She directed the films Der Eintänzer (1978), La ferdinanda: Sonate für eine Medici-Villa (1982) and Buster's Bedroom (1990). Horn presently lives and works in Paris and Berlin.

10. Rudolf Belling (1886 - 1972)

With an HPI of 50.49, Rudolf Belling is the 10th most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Rudolf Belling (26 August 1886 – 9 June 1972) was a German sculptor. His work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.

People

Pantheon has 15 people classified as sculptors born between 1450 and 1953. Of these 15, 2 (13.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living sculptors include Rebecca Horn and Rosemarie Trockel. The most famous deceased sculptors include Veit Stoss, Tilman Riemenschneider, and Franz Xaver Messerschmidt. As of April 2022, 2 new sculptors have been added to Pantheon including Rebecca Horn and Rudolf Belling.