1897-1981
Born to American parents in Rome, Edmond Romulus Amateis grew up in Washington, DC. His father Louis was a renowned sculptor, and founded the School of Architecture at George Washington University. Amateis began his studies at the Beaux- Arts Institute of Design in New York in 1915, leaving temporarily to serve in the US Army during WWI. Upon his return, he worked in the studios of sculptors Henry Shrady and John Clements Gregory, winning a three-year fellowship to the American Academy in Rome in 1921. For the 1939 New York World's Fair, Amateis created three bas-relief panels for the Medicine & Public Health Building. The panels (Benevolence, Efficiency, and Humility) depicted scenes from heroes of American folklore. He went on to receive numerous awards for his work and became an Associate in Sculpture at Columbia University. In 1936, Amateis was elected an Associate member of the National Academy of Design, and from 1942 to 1944, he was president of the National Sculpture Society. Photo: "Girl with Doll" by Edmond Amateis