Werner Pokorny, born in 1949 in Mosbach, studied at the Karlsruhe Academy of Fine Arts from 1971 to 1976 under professors Baschang, Kalinowski, and Neusel, while also studying art history at the University of Karlsruhe. Awarded a scholarship from the Baden-Württemberg Art Foundation in 1989, he became a visiting professor at the Karlsruhe Academy of Fine Arts the following year. In 1998, he was appointed professor of general art education, specializing in sculpture, at the Stuttgart Academy of Fine Arts.
Deeply involved in the art world, he chaired the Baden-Württemberg Artists’ Association from 2007 to 2011, and again from 2012 to 2018. His work has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Hans-Thoma-Preis and the State of Baden-Württemberg Prize for Fine Arts in 2013, as well as the Order of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg in 2017. Werner Pokorny passed away on December 31, 2022, in Ettlingen.
Werner Pokorny drew his inspiration from the elementary form of the house, which he depicted in a simplified yet always recognizable way, arranging it stacked, tilted, or balanced. His sculptures, situated between symbolism and abstraction, explore the relationship between dwelling and the outside world, serving as a metaphor for the function of art in public space. Combining simplicity and complexity, he created works in a variety of sizes, from the modest to the monumental, where formal rigor interacts with a strong poetic resonance.