Renée (Renate Alice-) Sintenis

German sculptor Renée Sintenis, married to Emil Rudolf Weiss (1875-1942, German typographer, graphic artist and poet), was known for her animal sculptures in bronze, terracotta and silver. She was 1.80 m tall, with an androgynous appearance, and dominating personality. She became the first female sculptor accepted as a member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin (1931). She was the designer of the famous Berlin landmark, the Berlin Bear (1957). Sintenis also produced small sculptures of human acts. Her plastic runner Nurmi and her Soccer Player were often copied. With her Soccer Player she earned the bronze medal at the 1928 Art Competitions in the category Sculpturing, Statues. She entered the 1932 Olympics with her bronze statue Polo Player.

In 1934 Sintenis was excluded on racial reasons from the Academy of Arts. Many of her works could not be exhibited as they were considered "degenerate," but she was later allowed to resume work. In 1945 her apartment and much of her work was destroyed due to a bomb raid. After the war, Sintenis taught as a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin. In 1981 the German Federal Post issued a stamp on the occasion of her 100th birthday.