Michael Lantz

Born in 1908 in New Rochelle, New York, Michael Lantz first began sculpting at a vocational high school for boys in New York City. At age sixteen, he enrolled in the National Academy of Design, where he was taught for two years by Robert Aitken. During the Great Depression, Lantz worked as a WPA sculpture instructor in his hometown until winning the art commission for the Federal Trade Commission in 1938. His other well-known works include the sculpture of St. Avold at the Lorraine American Cemetery in France, which is the largest European cemetery for American soldiers killed during World War II, and the design for the Bronze Medallion, the highest award conferred upon civilians by New York City. Lantz was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1951, and served as president of the National Sculpture Society from 1970–1973.