Arno Breker (German, 1900–1991) was a sculptor best known for his public works in Nazi Germany, which were considered to be the antithesis of degenerate art. Born in Elberfeld, Northern German, in his late teens, he began the study of stone carving and anatomy, and, at age 20, enrolled in the Düsseldorf Academy of Arts, where he studied sculpture.

In 1924, he traveled to Paris, where he settled for a brief period in 1927, establishing close friendships with artists such as Charles Despiau, Isamu Noguchi, Maurice de Vlaminck, and André Dunoyer de Segonzac. In 1932, he was awarded the Rome Prize from the Prussian Ministry of Culture, which allowed him to work at the Villa Massimo. In 1934, he returned to Germany.

His work between 1933 and 1942 was noted for its classical approach to the human form, a strong contrast between light and dark elements, and a dramatic tension in the musculature of his figures. He executed a number of commissions as a member of the Nazi Party, and, in 1937, was made official state sculptor by Adolf Hitler, shaping the new German monumental style. Also during this time, he served as a professor of visual arts in Berlin.

After the war, Breker turned to bust portraiture and graphics, and later focused on writing, though he remained a controversial figure, with much of his public work being destroyed by the Allies. In 1948, he settled in Düsseldorf, which would be his home for the rest of his life. He also worked as an architect and continued to receive commissions for sculpture, but exhibitions of his work were often met with anti-Nazi protests. In 1985, the Arno Breker Museum opened in Nörvenich, Germany.

The artist died in Düsseldorf at the age of 90.