Heinrich Lauenstein was a German painter of the Düsseldorf School and professor of religious history painting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy.
Heinrich Lauenstein, son of the Hüddessum mill owner Christoph Lauenstein, was a decorative painter in Hildesheim before he came to the Düsseldorf Art Academy in 1859, supported by a grant from King George V of Hanover. He first studied there with Heinrich Mücke, Andreas and Karl Müller, Karl Ferdinand Sohn and Rudolf Wiegmann. In June 1863 he entered the class of practicing history and genre painting, where he was a student of Eduard Bendemann and from autumn 1867 of Ernst Degerbecame. In the fall of 1864, while he was still studying, Lauenstein became an assistant teacher in the elementary class, which he headed from 1881. His numerous students later included well-known painters such as Heinrich Nauen and Max Clarenbach . From 1897 until his death, Lauenstein worked as a professor for religious history painting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. In 1893 his wife Emilie died, nee Peters, who Lauenstein had married in 1874. The couple had several children. Daughter Ottilie's husband was the insurance manager Johannes Nordhoff, father of Heinrich Nordhoff , who later became CEO of Volkswagen AG .
From 1873/74 Heinrich Lauenstein was a member of the artists' association Malkasten.