Born June 28, 1901
Born and raised in St. Louis, Walker Hancock graduated from Central High School in 1917. A realist sculptor who concentrated on the human form, Hancock’s works include Zuni Bird Charmer at the St. Louis Zoo, Christ in Majesty in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial, a stunning work that features a 39-foot bronze angel lifting a fallen soldier from flames. Hancock served in WWII as one of the famed “Monuments Men” who recovered art looted by the Nazis. For his personal contributions to art and his efforts to preserve the great works of others, Walker Hancock was awarded the National Medal of Art in 1989 and the Medal of Freedom in 1990.
