Which German archaeologist is considered the father of Neoclassicism?

The German archaeologist considered the father of Neoclassicism was Johann Joachim Winckelmann.

Born in 1717, Winckelmann was an archaeologist, antiquarian, and art historian whose writings transformed European ideas about ancient art. His 1764 book History of Ancient Art classified artworks by period and style, helping establish systematic art history and scientific approaches to archaeology.

Winckelmann strongly admired ancient Greek art, which he associated with ideal beauty, balance, and what he called “noble simplicity and quiet grandeur.” His arguments encouraged artists and architects to look beyond the ornate styles of the Baroque and Rococo and to revive the forms and ideals of Greece and Rome. His influence reached figures such as Anton Raphael Mengs, Jacques-Louis David, Robert Adam, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

The wording can cause a minor mix-up: Winckelmann is also widely called the father of modern archaeology and the father of art history. “Father of Neoclassicism” is a conventional description of his decisive intellectual influence, not a formal title awarded by an institution.