Johann Robert Korn
1873-1921
In 1890, Johann Robert Korn, who was born in Bad-Salzungen, Germany, came to Berlin when he was just 17 years old. He was already a trained modeller; in Berlin he continued his studies, first at the Kunstgewerbeschule (1890-1893), then at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (1894-1895).
His great talent was recognised early, and he was already represented at important exhibitions at the turn of the century. Berlin remained his artistic centre. For almost a quarter of a century – from 1897 to 1920 – he exhibited regularly at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition. His award-winning work can still be found here in public spaces (and is known to many who may never even have heard his name). For example, the eagle figures at the Hohenzollernplatz underground station (1913) and various animal depictions in the Zoological Garden (such as the group of deer at the antelope house from 1910) were created in his studio. However, his chimpanzee, which was an early work from 1896, shows that Korn also had a talent for small sculptures.
