The Most Famous

SCULPTORS from Germany

This page contains a list of the greatest German Sculptors. The pantheon dataset contains 258 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 60.93, Veit Stoss is the most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages on wikipedia.

Veit Stoss (German: [faɪt ˈʃtoːs], also spelled 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 60.19, Tilman Riemenschneider is the 2nd most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Tilman Riemenschneider (c. 1460 – 7 July 1531) was a German woodcarver and sculptor 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 limewood and stone. 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 57.91, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt is the 3rd most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 20 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. Johann Gottfried Schadow (1764 - 1850)

With an HPI of 57.12, Johann Gottfried Schadow is the 4th 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.

5. Adolf von Hildebrand (1847 - 1921)

With an HPI of 56.20, Adolf von Hildebrand is the 5th most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

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

6. Igor Mitoraj (1944 - 2014)

With an HPI of 56.15, Igor Mitoraj is the 6th most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Igor Mitoraj (Polish pronunciation: [ˈiɡɔr miˈtɔraj]; 26 March 1944 – 6 October 2014), born Jerzy Manika, was a Polish artist and monumental sculptor. Known for his fragmented sculptures of the human body often created as large-scale installations in public places. His work is internationally exhibited, mainly in Europe.

7. Christian Daniel Rauch (1777 - 1857)

With an HPI of 54.35, 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 53.91, Adam Kraft is the 8th most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 19 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. Clara Westhoff (1878 - 1954)

With an HPI of 52.96, Clara Westhoff is the 9th most famous German Sculptor. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Clara Henriette Sophie Westhoff (21 September 1878 – 9 March 1954), also known by her married name Clara Rilke or Clara Rilke-Westhoff was a pioneer German sculptor and artist.

10. Georg Kolbe (1877 - 1947)

With an HPI of 52.37, Georg Kolbe is the 10th most famous German Sculptor. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Georg Kolbe (15 April 1877 – 20 November 1947) was a German sculptor. He was the leading German figure sculptor of his generation, in a vigorous, modern, simplified classical style similar to Aristide Maillol of France.

People

Pantheon has 19 people classified as German sculptors born between 1400 and 1953. Of these 19, 1 (5.26%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living German sculptors include Rosemarie Trockel. The most famous deceased German sculptors include Veit Stoss, Tilman Riemenschneider, and Franz Xaver Messerschmidt. As of April 2024, 4 new German sculptors have been added to Pantheon including Clara Westhoff, Hans Multscher, and Reinhold Begas.