Cleo Hartwig (20 October 1907 – 18 June 1988)[2][3] was an American sculptor who worked in stone, wood, terra cotta, plaster, paper, woodcut, and ceramic.

Hartwig took up residence at Patchin Place, the historic Greenwich Village cul-de-sac, home to many famous artists of the early 20th century.

She joined the faculty of the Lenox School (1939-42), and exhibited her work in group shows at the Clay Club, National Academy of Design, Syracuse University, and Mt.

"Her carvings from the 1930s and early 1940s,” noted Ilene Fort, of the LA County Museum of Art, “are characterized by compact, massive forms, crisp outlines, and minimal details.

"[8] During World War II Hartwig did drafting at Bell Telephone Laboratories (1942 to 1943), and technical illustrating at the Jordanoff Aviation Corp in NY (1943–45).

The National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) awarded Hartwig the Anna Hyatt Huntington Prize for her Mandolin Player in 1945.

In addition, she completed an important work for the architect Kenneth B. Norton: a "Family Group" for the Continental Companies Building on Williams St. in downtown Manhattan.

For that commission Hartwig created an 8-foot-high bas-relief of a mother, father, and child, which was cast in aluminum and installed on the front of the building.

[10] In the 1970s, Hartwig continued to collect honors: she was elected to the National Academy of Design as an Academician (1971)[11] and received an Honorary Doctorate from Western Michigan University (1973).

[2] After her passing, the Sculptors Guild dedicated its 1990 Hofstra University Exhibit Catalog to her memory, and the Audubon Society instituted an annual sculpture prize (still given today), in her honor.

Hartwig belongs to a line of 'direct carvers' (taille direct) which includes both Jose de Creeft, with whom she studied, and Vincent Glinsky, her husband.