Barry Dierks (1899 – February 20, 1960) was an

American architect This list of American architects includes notable architects and architecture firms with a strong connection to the United States (i.e., born in the United States, located in the United States or known primarily for their work in the United States ...

of the

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

movement. He was active in France, principally on the

French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...

from 1925 to the 1950s.

Biography

Son of W. C. Dierks, managing director of C. C. Mellor pianos, Barry Dierks studied architecture at

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, from which he obtained his diploma in 1921. He continued his studies at the École des beaux-arts in Paris in the studio of

Léon Jaussely Léon Jaussely (9 January 1875 – 28 December 1932) was a French architect and urban planner. Born in Toulouse, Jaussely studied at the local fine arts school, then to the École des Beaux-Arts in the ateliers of Honoré Daumet and Pierre Esqui ...

. François Fray, conservateur du patrimoine, « La clientèle de l’architecte Barry Dierks sur la Côte d’Azur », ''In Situ, revue des patrimoines'', n°4, ministère de la Culture, March 2004
read on line
(page consulted on April 29, 2011) The need to guarantee his stay in France led him to accept a job at the Bank Choillet. Here, he made the acquaintance of the bank's director, Colonel Eric Sawyer, former officer in the British Army, who became his lover and lifelong companion. In 1925, the two decided to leave and establish themselves in the

south of France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', A ...

. This carefully considered decision was based on Dierks' profession and the growing demand for country houses in a region where wealthy clients – many of whom were British – built. At

Théoule-sur-Mer Théoule-sur-Mer (; Occitan: ''Teula de Mar'' or simply ''Teula''), popularly known as Théoule, is a resort village in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It lies to the east of the ...

, in the

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it ...

, he discovered a isolated site on a private peninsula on the ''Pointe de l’Esquillon'' with an inaccessible cove and a private beach where they built their house, the villa ''Le Trident''. This first effort was noticed by Eric's friends and became the emblem of Dierks’ savoir-faire. Between 1925 and 1960, the year of Dierks’ death, more than 100 commissions – designs as well as remodeling and enlargements of existing villas – have been tallied. His client base, made up of aristocrats, artists, and business leaders, seemed to have been built by word of mouth. Dierks and his partner were active participants in the social life of the French Riviera. In Dierks’ achievements, this rich and cultivated clientele found the answer to their desire for a restrained modernity without excess. The architect built for them elegant and functional buildings, where the views and the light of the Mediterranean were skillfully highlighted. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Barry Dierks conducted humanitarian operations before leaving the regions, and Eric Sawyer joined the Resistance. In 1946, General

Georges Catroux Georges Albert Julien Catroux (29 January 1877 – 21 December 1969) was a French Army general and diplomat who served in both World War I and World War II, and served as Grand Chancellor of the Légion d'honneur from 1954 to 1969. Life Cat ...

noted his consideration, in this respect, in a eulogistic note in the guestbook of the villa Le Trident. In 1956, Dierks' leg was amputated following an illness. He died on February 20, 1960, with Eric Sawyer surviving him until 1985.

Achievements

According to a study published in 2004, 102 construction sites led by Dierks have been reported. Among these commission, 66 were for British clients and 25 were for French clients. Nearly one-quarter of the villas built were for aristocrats.Récolement des permis de construire des villes d'Antibes et de Cannes, Fonds Andrau, Archives communales de Cannes. The following table presents a partial list of works by Barry Dierks

Biography

Achievements

Notes and references

See also

See also

External links