C. Percival Dietsch (23 May 1881 - 22 Feb 1961), full name Clarence Percival Dietsch, was an American born in New York City and raised in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, NY, as the youngest child of Morris Dietsch and New York-born Clara M. Dietsch (maiden name Henry). Morris and his twin brother Leonard were born in America to Frederick and Margaret Dietsch (maiden name unknown) after they emigrated with other children of theirs from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in 1836. Dietsch was awarded the Rinehart Prize in Sculpture in 1905 from the

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music and dance music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliat ...

and received a scholarship to attend the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome, Italy. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History 19th century In 1893, a group of American architect ...

. Correspondence from Dietsch is included in the papers of

William Henry Rinehart William Henry Rinehart (September 13, 1825 – October 28, 1874) was a noted American sculptor. He is considered "the last important American sculptor to work in the classical style." Biography The son of and Mary (Snader) Rinehart (1797–1865 ...

. He was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Rome in 1909. He lived in Rome from Nov. 1906–1910. He then lived in Paris for a short time and won the Prix de Rome. Continuing to travel, he sailed back to New York from Naples upon the

RMS Saxonia (1899) The first RMS ''Saxonia'' was a passenger ship of the British Cunard Line. Between 1900 and 1925, ''Saxonia'' operated on North Atlantic and Mediterranean passenger routes, and she saw military service during World War I (1914–1918). ''Sax ...

on Oct. 6, 1912. He had a passport obtained from Berne, Switzerland on Aug. 1, 1914.National Archives, U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 He was awarded honorable mention for exhibitions at the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely s ...

in San Francisco in 1915. He registered for the draft for World War I in New York on September 12, 1918, with the registrar describing him as tall in height and slender of build, with brown eyes and dark brown hair. Shortly thereafter on Oct. 24, 1918, he embarked upon the SS Espagne (Provence, 1909) en route to France to assist Winifred Holt as an instructor for soldiers blinded in battle, with the passport clerk describing him as 6 feet tall with a small scar on the palm of his left hand.National Archives, U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 In addition to New York City, Dietsch lived in Connecticut for a time (as his father had a home in Saybrook) and as of 1935 was living in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...

, where he died in 1961. Dietsch studied at the New York School of Art under

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later became the Parsons School of Design. ...

and was also a student of

Attilio Piccirilli Attilio Piccirilli (May 16, 1866 – October 8, 1945) was an American sculptor. Born in Massa, Italy, he was educated at the Accademia di San Luca of Rome. Life and career Piccirilli came to the United States in 1888 and worked for his fa ...

. He was a member of the

Architectural League of New York The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construct ...

as well as such Palm Beach institutions as the Society of Four Arts and the

Everglades Club The Everglades Club is a social club in Palm Beach, Florida. When its construction began in July 1918, it was to be called the ''Touchstone Convalescent Club'', and it was intended to be a hospital for the wounded of World War I. But the war ende ...

. Since 1968, The

National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding member ...

, of which he was also a member, has awarded the C. Percival Dietsch Prize for sculpture in the round in his honor at its annual exhibition. A piece by Dietsch entitled "Nude Female" was sold at Sotheby's on March 11, 2004.

C. Percival Dietsch Prize for Sculpture in the Round

Beginning in 1968, the

has awarded this annually, with some exceptions. Below is the list of recipients. 1968

Vincent Glinsky Vincent Glinsky (December 18, 1895 – March 19, 1975) was an American sculptor. He is especially noted for his architectural decorations. Life Vincent Glinsky was born in Russia on December 18, 1895 and emigrated to America just before World ...

1969 Frances Lamont 1970 Clark T. Bailey 1971 Adolph Block 1972 Christopher Parks 1973 Joan Bugbee 1974 George Gach 1975 Edward Widstrom 1976 Cleo Hartwig 1977 Marilyn Newmark 1978 John Cavanaugh 1979 Kent Ullberg 1980

Albert Wein Albert W. Wein (1915–1991) was an American sculptor. Wein was born in New York City on July 27, 1915. His mother, Elsa Meher Wein was a portrait painter and it was through her that Wein was first introduced to art. He began his art studies at ...

1981 Marc Mellon 1982 Marion Roller 1983 Isidore Margulies 1984 Ruth Nickerson 1985 Harry Marinsky 1986 Jane Armstrong 1987 No prizes awarded 1988 Sidney Simon 1989 Jida Wang 1990 No prizes awarded 1991 Darlis Lamb 1992 Nathaniel Kaz 1993 Harvey Weiss 1994 Joseph Sheppard 1995 Ellen Kennelly 1996 Seiji Saito 1997 Vitaliy Patrov 1998 No prize awarded 1999 Bobbiegita Walker 2000 Chapel 2001 Tim Shinabarger 2002 Betty Branch 2003 Martin Eichinger 2004 Tim Cherry 2005 Joy Beckner 2006 Yuko Ueno 2007 Herb Mignery 2008

Jane DeDecker Jane DeDecker (born 30 August 1961) is a sculptor from Iowa. She specializes in bronze work and her pieces often feature family groups or children. DeDecker was born in Marengo, Iowa on 30 August 1961 and attended the University of Northern Color ...

2009 Victoria Parsons 2010 David Rogers 2011

Stanley Bleifeld Stanley Bleifeld (August 28, 1924 – March 26, 2011) was an American sculptor. He lived between Weston, Connecticut, Weston, Connecticut, and Pietrasanta, Italy. Early life Stanley Bleifeld was born on August 28, 1924, in Brooklyn in New York Ci ...

2012 Rosie Irwin Price 2013 Deon Duncan 2014 Walter Matia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dietsch, Clarence 20th-century American sculptors American male sculptors 1881 births 1961 deaths 20th-century American male artists