Barry Dierks


Barry Dierks was an American architect of the Modernist movement. He was active in France, principally on the French Riviera 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 in Pittsburgh, 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.
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. 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, in the Alpes-Maritimes, 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, Barry Dierks conducted humanitarian operations before leaving the regions; and, Eric Sawyer joined the Resistance. In 1946, General Georges Catroux 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.
The following table presents a partial list of works by Barry Dierks
DateNameClientAddress:FR:Inventaire général du patrimoine culturel|IGPC
1925Villa Le TridentBarry Dierks8, impasse Renoir, Théoule-sur-Mer
1927Villa La MauresqueSomerset Maugham52, boulevard du Gal-de-Gaulle, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferratn° IA06000981
1928Villa La Reine JeannePaul-Louis WeillerHameau de Cabasson, Bormes-les-Mimosas
1930Villa Saint-Ange:fr:Maison d'Ursel|Hedwige d’UrselLe Brusc, Six-Fours-les-Plagesn° IA83000435
1932Château de l'HorizonMaxine ElliottRoute du Bord-de-mer, Golfe-Juan, Vallauris
1932Domaine de L'OustarounMarquise de Brantes763, chemin des Salles, Vence
1932Villa Les AspresMarquise :fr:famille de Ganay|de GanayGrasse
1933Manoir Eden RocMarquess of CholmondeleyGolfe-Juan
1936Villa LilliputAmiral-comte Antoine Sala40, boulevard James-Wyllie, Antibesn° IA06001101
1937Villa Lou VieïHerman Rogers10 bis, ancien chemin de Vallauris, Cannesn° IA06000561
1937Villa ZéroMrs. Grant Milnes416, chemin de la Mosquée, Antibesn° IA06001165
1937Villa Sous le VentMrs. Sidney Allenimpasse Félix, Antibesn° IA06001166
1937Mas de TerrafialFrederick Price3, avenue Ziem, Cannesn° IA06000364
1937Villa Tanah MerahGeorge Benjamin Edward Keun64, avenue des Pins, Antibesn° IA06001245
1937Villa Le BeaurevoirDiarmid Campbell-Johnson450, avenue Mrs.-L.-D.-Beaumont, Antibesn° IA06001174
1938Pavillon de bainsM. and Mme Boissevain365, chemin de la Mosquée, Antibesn° IA06001175
1938Villa Aujourd'huiMrs. Audrey Chadwick1546, boulevard Maréchal-Juin, Antibesn° IA06001178
1939Villa Ad AstraGénéral Catroux13, avenue Ziem, Cannesn° IA06000365
1939Villa La Cassine:fr:Damien de Martel|Comte Damien de Martel112 bis, boulevard Francis-Meilland, Antibesn° IA06001187
1940Villa Casa LaurettaGrace MooreMougins
1940Villa Casa EstellaMrs. Aubrey Cartwrightimpasse Félix, Antibesn° IA06001164
1940Villa Aigue-MarineHoward Wilcox490, chemin de la Mosquée, Antibesn° IA06001236
1940Villa PatenôtreRaymond Patenôtre38, boulevard Montfleury, Cannesn° IA06000568
1940Clos de la GaroupeLord and Lady Norman1311, chemin de la Garoupe, Cap d'Antibesn° IA06001210
1950Villa Le ClocherLord and Lady Norman1472, chemin de la Garoupe, Antibesn° IA06001154
1950Cottage d'EilenrocMr. and Mrs. Beaumont460, avenue Mrs. L-D Beaumont, Antibesn° IA06001161
1951Villa HierAnthony Edgar Somers374, avenue Mrs. L-D Beaumont, Antibesn° IA06001173
1952Villa La FolieWilloughby Normanchemin de la Croé, Cap d'Antibesn° IA06001211
1952Cottage de la GaroupeLord and Lady Norman1530, chemin de la Garoupe, Cap d'Antibesn° IA06001153
1956Villa Piccola BellaMme G.L.P. Woodward122, avenue de Vallauris, Cannesn° IA06000628
1958Villa MoschettiJoseph Moschetti18, rue Boucicaut, Cannesn° IA06000620
1960Villa du Bord de mer''Lord and Lady Norman1472, chemin de la Garoupe, Antibesn° IA06001221