American Eagle

The backside of an eagle sculpture that is made of metal. The darker color of the feathers show all of the details, there is a contrast to the lighter tail feathers and the head.

About the Sculpture

This life-size sculpture of an eagle was unveiled on Tuesday October 2nd, 2001. It was donated by Lincolnites Russell and Louise Brehm and is valued at $50,000. It is almost 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 500 pounds. Hoppe, the artist has created other eagle sculptures that are placed around the country.

A metal eagle in flight. The full wing span is at an angle as the eagle sculpture makes an imaginary turn.

A close up of the face of the metal eagle sculpture inside a building. The golden beak stands out against the darker metal color of the rest of the eagle.

A sculpture of an eagle made of metal. The eagle is in flight with the wingspan almost entirely vertical. The eagle is hovering over a piece of wood sticking out of a rocky base, also made of metal.

A close up of the base of a sculpture which appears to be a rocky texture with a block of wood extending from the top. There is a signature engraved in it that says Fred Hoppe, 1998, 17/50

About the Artist

Fred Hoppe was born in 1954 in Schuyler, NE though he now lives outside of Lincoln. His mom gifted him clay when he was 7 years old, the driving force for his career. He started his sculpture career over 30 years ago after a successful career in museum quality taxidermy. As a graduate of Nebraska Western College in North Platte, Hoppe was selected to restore all of the wildlife displays in Morrill Hall. His history of taxidermy gave him the knowledge in anatomy and structure to succeed in sculpture. He has achieved international renown, and has covered a variety of topics from wildlife to sports figures and fallen heroes.

Hoppe is most well known for his works: Archie the Imperial Mammoth in front of Morrill Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Husker Legacy statue at Memorial Stadium, a life-size bronze figure of President George Bush for his presidential library, and a 70 foot long, 15 ton sculpture of a battle in WWII for the Veterans Memorial Museum in Branson, MO.

Additional Information

County-City Building

Length: 2.5 ft.

Width: 2 ft.

Height: 5.5 ft.