Walter Arnold (sculptor)

Walter Arnold
Walter Arnold (1953)
Born	29 August 1909 Leipzig, Germany
Died	11 July 1979 Dresden, German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
Nationality	German
Occupation	Sculptor
Political party	SED
Spouse(s)	Maria ____

Walter Arnold (27 August 1909 in Leipzig – 11 July 1979 in Dresden) was a German stonemason and sculptor. Between 1957 and 1964 he was the president of the in East Germany.

Walter Arnold was the son of a Leipzig Stonemason. He trained between 1924 and 1928 in wood carving and Stone sculpture. Between 1928 and 1932 he studied the shapes of sculptures and ceramics under Alfred Thiele at the School of Craftsmanship at Leipzig. After finishing his studies he worked as an assistant to Thiele until 1933, after which he worked as a freelance artist, supporting himself with contract work, including grave stone business and stonework renovation jobs. He was a soldier during the war, ending up in a prison camp just outside Bad Kreuznach. Returning home to Leipzig, in November 1946 he joined what was shortly to become ruling SED (party) of what was in the process of becoming the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

1946 was also the year in which Walter Arnold started to teach at the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig. In 1949 he accepted an invitation to move to the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts where he worked as a professor until 1970. His students included Reinhard Dietrich. He then returned to the Academy in Leipzig where he was designated an emeritus professor in 1974, but continued to give master classes.