Famous 19th Century Sculptors

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 1 
Edgar Degas
(French Impressionist Artist Best Known for His Pastel Drawings and Oil Paintings)
Edgar Degas
10
Birthdate: July 19, 1834
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: September 27, 1917

French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas is best remembered for his oil paintings and pastel drawings and for his signature use of dancers and bathing women as themes in his works such as Fin d'Arabesque and Woman in a Tub. He had also experimented with bronze sculptures and called himself a realist.

 2 
Alexander Calder
(Sculptor, Painter)
Alexander Calder
7
Birthdate: July 22, 1898
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Lawnton
Died: November 11, 1976

Alexander Calder was an American sculptor best remembered for his innovative kinetic sculptures designed to use either motor, air currents, or other forces of nature. A multi-talented personality, Calder was also known for his paintings, miniatures, prints, jewelry design, theater set design, political posters, and tapestries and rugs. In 1977, he was honored with the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom.

 3 
Edmonia Lewis
(First African-American and Native American Sculptor to Achieve International Prominence)
Edmonia Lewis
7
Birthdate: July 4, 1844
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Died: September 17, 1907

Edmonia Lewis was an American sculptor who worked in Rome for most of her career. The first African-American sculptor to gain international prominence, Lewis was also the only Black female artist to have participated and recognized by the American artistic mainstream until the end of the 19th century. Molefi Kete Asante included Lewis in his 100 Greatest African Americans list.

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 4 
Constantin Brâncuși
(One of the Most Influential Sculptors of the 20th-Century)
Constantin Brâncuși
6
Birthdate: February 19, 1876
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hobita, Romania
Died: March 16, 1957

Constantin Brâncuși was a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer. A pioneer of modernism, he is considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century. The son of poor parents, he worked hard to fund his training at the Bucharest School of Fine Arts and became a skilled sculptor. He left behind 1200 photographs and 215 sculptures at his death. 

 5 
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
(French Sculptor and Painter Best Known for Designing the 'Statue of Liberty')
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
6
Birthdate: August 2, 1834
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Colmar, France
Died: October 4, 1904

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was a French painter and sculptor remembered for designing the Statue of Liberty. He is also credited with designing other iconic statues like The Lion of Belfort and Marquis de Lafayette. In addition to being a sculptor, Bartholdi also played an important role in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, serving as a liaison officer to Giuseppe Garibaldi.

 6 
Antonio Canova
(Italian Neoclassical Sculptor Famous for His Marble Sculptures)
Antonio Canova
6
Birthdate: November 1, 1757
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Possagno, Italy
Died: October 13, 1822

Antonio Canova was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor widely regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists. He was famous for his marble sculptures. His work was inspired by the Baroque and the classical revival. His most notable works include Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss and Perseus Triumphant. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he refused to take in pupils. 

 7 
Auguste Rodin
(French Sculptor Best Regarded as the Founder of 'Modern Sculpture')
Auguste Rodin
6
Birthdate: November 13, 1840
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: November 17, 1917
Initially aspiring to be a monk, Auguste Rodin found his true calling when he visited Italy and was awestruck by Michelangelo’s creations. His iconic sculptures such as The Thinker and The Age of Bronze are astoundingly life-like. He breathed magic into nudes and ballerinas made of stone and bronze.
 8 
Gustave Courbet
(French Painter and Leader of the 19th Century Realist Movement)
Gustave Courbet
6
Birthdate: June 10, 1819
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Ornans, France
Died: December 31, 1877
Born to a farmer in eastern France, Gustave Courbet was initially gearing up to study law but later deviated to art. He started by copying Spanish painters and later rebelled against Romanticism, focusing on real-life subjects around him instead and thus developing 19th-century Realism.
 9 
Gustave Doré
(Artist Best Known for His Prolific Output of Wood-Engravings and Illustrated Texts)
Gustave Doré
6
Birthdate: January 6, 1832
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Strasbourg, France
Died: January 23, 1883

Best known for his wood-engraving, Gustave Doré was a child prodigy who began his artwork at the tender age of 5. A master lithographer and caricaturist, he began his career with Journal pour Rire. He also worked on commissions from authors such as Cervantes, Milton, and Dante.

 10 
Camille Claudel
(French Sculptor Known for Her Work: ‘The Waltz’ and ‘The Mature Age’)
Camille Claudel
6
Birthdate: December 8, 1864
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Fère-en-Tardenois, France
Died: October 19, 1943

French sculptor Camille Claudel is also popularly known as legendary sculptor Auguste Rodin’s student, mistress, and muse. Claudel also contributed to many of Rodin’s masterpieces but never got any credit for it. After her relationship with Rodin soured, she became alienated and eventually died in an asylum.

 11 
Daniel Chester French
(Sculptor)
Daniel Chester French
4
Birthdate: April 20, 1850
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Exeter
Died: October 7, 1931

Daniel Chester French was an American sculptor best remembered for designing the iconic monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. He is also credited with designing the Pulitzer Prize gold medal along with H. Augustus Lukeman in 1917. Daniel Chester French also founded or co-founded many organizations like the National Sculpture Society (NSS) and the American Academy in Rome.

 12 
Käthe Kollwitz
(German Artist Known for Depicting Poverty, Hunger and War in Her Works 'The Weavers' and 'The Peasant War')
Käthe Kollwitz
5
Birthdate: July 8, 1867
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Königsberg, Russia
Died: April 22, 1945

Noted for series like Weavers’ Revolt and Peasants’ War, sculptor and graphic artist, Käthe Kollwitz, came in contact with the urban poor when she moved into Berlin's working class area. Touched by their plight, she soon started portraying them through her etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, and drawings, quickly becoming a powerful advocate for those suffering from social injustice, war, and inhumanity.

 13 
Bertel Thorvaldsen
(Danish Sculptor and Medalist)
Bertel Thorvaldsen
4
Birthdate: November 19, 1770
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Died: March 24, 1844

Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish sculptor and medallist. He was internationally famous and spent most of his life in Italy. He received his training at the Royal Danish Academy of Art and initially worked with his father, a woodcarver. He went on to become a famous sculptor and worked in a heroic neo-classicist style. He received many awards. 

 14 
Pablo Picasso
(One of the Most Influential Artists of the 20th Century and Co-Founder of the 'Cubist Movement')
Pablo Picasso
1
Birthdate: October 25, 1881
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Málaga, Spain
Died: April 8, 1973

Pablo Picasso was a renowned artist whose paintings sell by millions of dollars at auctions even today, many years after his death. With masterful strokes, attractive shades and rich textures, Picasso created some of the most visually impressive arts of the 20th century. While exploring new styles and experimenting with different techniques, Picasso co-founded Cubist art style and co-invented collage.

 15 
Frederic Remington
(Sculptor, Writer, Painter)
Frederic Remington
5
Birthdate: October 4, 1861
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York
Died: December 26, 1909

Frederic Remington was an American sculptor, painter, illustrator, and writer. Best remembered for his depictions of the Western United States, Remington is a member of several cowboy halls of fame, including the Texas Trail Hall of Fame. Frederic Remington was regarded as one of the most successful and popular Western illustrators during the late 19th century and early 20th century.

 16 
Rosa Bonheur
(French Artist and Sculptor Known Best as a Painter of Animals)
Rosa Bonheur
4
Birthdate: March 16, 1822
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bordeaux, France
Died: May 25, 1899

Rosa Bonheur was a French artist and sculptor whose paintings have been preserved in popular museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Musée d'Orsay. An influential personality, Bonheur was widely regarded as the 19th century's most popular female painter. An open lesbian, Rosa Bonheur stood out as a groundbreaking individual both in her personal life and her career.

 17 
Charles Marion Russell
(Sculptor, Illustrator, Painter, Writer)
Charles Marion Russell
4
Birthdate: March 19, 1864
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: St. Louis
Died: October 24, 1926

Charles Marion Russell was an American artist best remembered for depicting the American Old West. Dubbed the cowboy artist, Russell produced over 2,000 paintings featuring Native Americans, landscapes of the western United States, and cowboys. In 1955, Charles Marion Russell was made a member of the Hall of Great Westerners.

 18 
Gustave Moreau
(French Symbolist Painter Known for His Erotic Paintings of Mythological and Religious Subjects)
Gustave Moreau
5
Birthdate: April 6, 1826
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: April 18, 1898

French Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau is best remembered for his erotic paintings of mythological and religious figures. His works were deeply influenced by Théodore Chassériau, his teacher, and later by the Italian Renaissance. The Apparition and Jupiter and Sémélé remain two of his best-known works.

 19 
Louis Wain
(English Artist)
Louis Wain
4
Birthdate: August 5, 1860
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Clerkenwell, London, England
Died: July 4, 1939
 20 
Aristide Maillol
(French Sculptor, Painter, and Printmaker)
Aristide Maillol
5
Birthdate: December 8, 1861
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
Died: September 27, 1944

Best known for his female nude statues, Aristide Maillol had started his career as a tapestry painter. He was 40 when failing eyesight forced him to quit painting and take to sculpting. He was influenced by the French group of artists named the Nabis. Many of his artworks were later looted by the Nazis.

 21 
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
(Sculptor)
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
4
Birthdate: March 1, 1848
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Dublin
Died: August 3, 1907

Augustus Saint-Gaudens was a sculptor who achieved popularity for his monuments celebrating heroes of the Civil War. Some of his well-known monuments include the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, General John Logan Memorial, and Abraham Lincoln: The Man. He is also credited with designing the Saint Gaudens Double Eagle, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful coins ever issued.

 22 
Gutzon Borglum
(American Sculptor Best Known for His Colossal Mount Rushmore Sculpture of the Faces of Four U.S. Presidents)
Gutzon Borglum
6
Birthdate: March 25, 1867
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Saint Charles, Idaho, United States
Died: March 6, 1941

Gutzon Borglum was an American sculptor remembered for his work on Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Borglum is also associated with other important public works of art like Georgia's Stone Mountain and a bust of Abraham Lincoln, which is currently preserved in the US Capitol crypt.

 23 
Louise Nevelson
(Sculptor, Painter)
Louise Nevelson
5
Birthdate: September 23, 1899
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi
Died: April 17, 1988

Louise Nevelson was an American sculptor best remembered for her monochromatic outdoor sculptures and wooden wall pieces. Although she was not a feminist, Nevelson's work played a major role in the development of the feminist art movement in the United States. Louise Nevelson is widely regarded as one of the 20th-century's most prominent American sculptors.

 24 
Anna Hyatt Huntington
(Sculptor)
Anna Hyatt Huntington
3
Birthdate: March 10, 1876
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Died: October 4, 1973
 25 
George Frederic Watts
(British Painter and Sculptor Known for His Contribution and Influence on the Symbolist Movement)
George Frederic Watts
4
Birthdate: February 23, 1817
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Marylebone, Middlesex, England
Died: July 1, 1904

George Frederic Watts was a British painter best remembered for his association with the Symbolist movement. Watts achieved fame for his allegorical works like Love and Life and Hope. In addition to being a painter, George Frederic Watts was also a sculptor. He is credited with sculpting the famous Physical Energy statue at Rhodes Memorial in South Africa.

 26 
Karl Blossfeldt
(German Photographer and Sculptor Best Known for His Close-up Photographs of Plants and Living Things)
Karl Blossfeldt
4
Birthdate: June 13, 1865
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Schielo, Germany
Died: December 9, 1932

Karl Blossfeldt was a German photographer, artist, sculptor, and teacher. He is best remembered for his work Urformen der Kunst, a collection of close-up photos of animals and plants. The book became highly influential and Blossfeldt's works were used as teaching tools in Berlin. Blossfeldt also served as a professor at the United State Schools for Fine and Applied Art. 

 27 
Augusta Savage
(Sculptor)
Augusta Savage
4
Birthdate: February 29, 1892
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Green Cove Springs
Died: March 26, 1962

Augusta Savage was an American sculptor best remembered for her association with the Harlem Renaissance. Savage also worked as a teacher and her studio served as an important tool to the development of the careers of several artists who went on to achieve national prominence. In 2008, Augusta Savage was inducted into the Florida Artist Hall of Fame. 

 28 
Honoré Daumier
(French Painter and Sculptor Known for His Cartoons and Drawings Satirizing 19th-Century French Politics and Society)
Honoré Daumier
3
Birthdate: February 26, 1808
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Marseille, France
Died: February 10, 1879

Honoré Daumier is best remembered for his satirical cartoons on the French society and politics. Born to a glazier father in Marseille, he later began studying art under Alexandre Lenoir and developed a love for sculptures, too. He later made a fortune, working on commissions of lithographs.

 29 
Ivan Meštrović
3
Birthdate: August 15, 1883
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Vrpolje
Died: January 15, 1962

Ivan Meštrović was a Croatian architect, sculptor, and writer. Counted among the most important Croatian sculptors of the modern era, Ivan Meštrović is sometimes credited with taking Croatian arts to the world stage. He also had a strong artistic influence on Serbia where many streets are named in his honor.

 30 
Gustav Vigeland
(Norwegian Sculptor)
Gustav Vigeland
3
Birthdate: April 11, 1869
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Mandal Municipality, Norway
Died: March 12, 1943

Gustav Vigeland was a Norwegian sculptor best remembered for his productivity and creative imagination. Apart from designing popular sculptures such as the Vigeland installation in Frogner Park, Vigeland is also credited with designing the Nobel Peace Prize medal. The Vigeland Museum, which is located outside Frogner Park, Oslo, is dedicated to Gustav Vigeland.

 31 
Edwin Landseer
(English Painter and Sculptor Known for His Paintings of Animals Particularly Horses, Dogs, and Stags)
Edwin Landseer
3
Birthdate: March 7, 1802
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: London, England
Died: October 1, 1873

Edwin Landseer was an English sculptor and painter best remembered for incorporating animals as subjects in his works. Landseer is credited with sculpting the famous lion sculptures that form a part of the base of Nelson's Column in the City of Westminster, Central London.

 32 
Angelina Beloff
(Painter)
Angelina Beloff
3
Birthdate: June 23, 1879
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Died: December 30, 1969

Angelina Beloff was a Russian-born artist best remembered for her work in Mexico. She also contributed as an art teacher in Mexico. Beloff is also known as the first wife of Mexican painter Diego Rivera; her professional achievements were largely overshadowed by her marriage and subsequent divorce. Her life and career inspired a novel by Elena Poniatowska.

 33 
Georg Jensen
Georg Jensen
3
 34 
Franz Stuck
(Known for his paintings of ancient mythology, receiving substantial critical acclaim with The Sin in 1892)
Franz Stuck
3
Birthdate: February 23, 1863
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Tettenweis, Germany
Died: August 30, 1928
 35 
Sascha Schneider
(Painter)
Sascha Schneider
3
Birthdate: September 21, 1870
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: August 18, 1927
 36 
Vinnie Ream
(Sculptor)
Vinnie Ream
3
Birthdate: September 25, 1847
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Died: January 12, 1914
 37 
Paul Landowski
(Sculptor)
Paul Landowski
3
Birthdate: June 1, 1875
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: March 31, 1961

Paul Landowski was a French sculptor remembered for designing the Christ the Redeemer statue, which has become a symbol of Christianity around the world.  Landowski is also remembered for winning the gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics where he won the art competition for sculpture.

 38 
Antoine-Louis Barye
(French Sculptor Most Famous for His Work as an Animalier, a Sculptor of Animals)
Antoine-Louis Barye
3
Birthdate: September 24, 1795
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: June 25, 1875

Antoine-Louis Barye was a French sculptor best remembered for his work as a sculptor of animals. He also served as a professor at the Museum of Natural History and was inducted into the Académie des beaux-arts in 1868. Antoine-Louis Barye is credited with mentoring his son Alfred Barye, who went on to become a respected sculptor in his own right.

 39 
Giovanni Strazza
(Sculptor)
Giovanni Strazza
2
Birthdate: 1818 AD
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: 1875 AD

Giovanni Strazza is perhaps best known for his unique artwork The Veiled Virgin, a stunning and realistic depiction of the Virgin Mary, with a veil draped over her, made of high-quality Carrara marble, derived from Tuscany. The Italian sculptor taught at his alma, Brera Academy in Milan.

 40 
James Earle Fraser
(American Sculptor)
James Earle Fraser
3
Birthdate: November 4, 1876
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Winona, Minnesota, United States
Died: October 11, 1953
 41 
Fortunato Depero
(Painter, Sculptor, Graphic designer, Writer)
Fortunato Depero
2
Birthdate: March 30, 1892
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Fondo
Died: November 29, 1960

Italian painter, sculptor, and graphic designer Fortunato Depero was one of the main figures of the Second Futurism movement. He later launched Italy’s first museum on the Futurist movement, the Casa d’Arte Futurista Depero. He also established himself as a successful interior designer, costume designer, and advertiser in New York.

 42 
Jean-Antoine Houdon
(French Neoclassical Sculptor)
Jean-Antoine Houdon
3
Birthdate: March 20, 1741
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Versailles, France
Died: July 15, 1828

Jean-Antoine Houdon was a French sculptor best remembered for his statues and portrait busts of philosophers, political figures, and inventors. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his sculptures were used as a reference for imprinting portraits of prominent personalities on various U.S. postage stamps.

 43 
Marie Bashkirtseff
(Russian Artist and Sculptor)
Marie Bashkirtseff
3
Birthdate: November 24, 1858
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Havrontsi, Ukraine
Died: October 31, 1884

Marie Bashkirtseff was a Ukrainian artist who worked and lived in Paris. Bashkirtseff emerged as an intellectual in Paris and produced works like The Meeting and In the Studio before succumbing to tuberculosis in 1884 at age 25. Although many of her works were destroyed by the Nazis, over 60 of her paintings are preserved in places like Musée d'Orsay. 

 44 
François Rude
(French Sculptor)
François Rude
2
Birthdate: January 4, 1784
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Dijon, France
Died: November 3, 1855

François Rude was a French sculptor best remembered for sculpting the Departure of the Volunteers on the Arc de Triomphe, which is counted among the most prominent monuments in Paris. His work often expressed the transition from neo-classicism to romanticism. François Rude is also credited with mentoring Charles-Auguste Lebourg and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, who became prominent sculptors in their own right.

 45 
Rembrandt Bugatti
(Sculptor)
Rembrandt Bugatti
2
Birthdate: October 16, 1884
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: January 8, 1916

Rembrandt Bugatti is best remembered for his animal sculptures made of bronze. The son of Art Nouveau designer Carlo Bugatti, he initially worked with plasticine. He later created sculptures modeled on the animals of Antwerp Zoo and eventually committed suicide when the zoo started killing its animals due to food shortage.

 46 
Max Klinger
(Painter)
Max Klinger
2
Birthdate: February 18, 1857
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Leipzig, Germany
Died: July 5, 1920
 47 
Ernst Barlach
(Sculptor)
Ernst Barlach
2
Birthdate: January 2, 1870
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Wedel, Germany
Died: October 24, 1938
 48 
Fernand Khnopff
(Painter, Sculptor, Photographer, Philosopher, Writer)
Fernand Khnopff
2
Birthdate: September 12, 1858
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dendermonde
Died: November 12, 1921

Fernand Khnopff was a Belgian painter whose works gained him recognition and helped achieve a cult status during his lifetime. He was honored with the prestigious Order of Leopold for his immense contribution to Symbolism.

 49 
Aleijadinho
(Brazilian Sculptor and Architect)
Aleijadinho
2
Birthdate: August 29, 1738
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Ouro Preto, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Died: November 18, 1814

Aleijadinho was a Brazilian architect and sculptor best remembered for his works in and on various churches of Brazil. Aleijadinho's works are generally considered some of the finest paradigms of Portuguese colonial architecture. Also among his best-known works are the famous Twelve Prophets, a set of soapstone sculptures at the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus of Matosinhos in Congonhas.

 50 
Clara Westhoff
(Sculptor)
Clara Westhoff
2
Birthdate: September 21, 1878
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bremen, Germany
Died: March 9, 1954