Robert Dielmann
Robert, known as Bob, was born in 1935 in Creve Coeur, Missouri to a prominent St. Louis family. His Grandfather saw his early talent and would take him when he was a young boy to the St. Louis Art Museum, where he would spend hours copying the Masters. He was a student of the first graduating class of Ladue High School. Bob excelled at art and quickly found it to be his life-long passion. Bob honed his talents with private lessons from Siegfried Reinhardt as well as attending classes at Washington University School of Fine Arts.
In his twenties Bob moved to Chicago where he became an art restorer for the Art Institute of Chicago. During these years he kept a studio where he worked both on painting and restoration. During his time in Chicago Bob sold paintings to Vincent Price, The Playgirl Mansion, and many private collections.
In the 1970’s Bob moved back to St. Louis where he began his career at Famous Barr. For many years Bob was the Art Director of Famous Barr, creating the sets and displays for the store. Some might remember the mural behind the train set which was displayed during the Christmas season that Bob painted. During this time Bob worked as an illustrator for both The St. Louis Globe Democrat and the Sears Catalog.
Bob loved his city and spent much of his painting career painting street scenes and portraits of those who inhabited it. It is believed that Bob befriended a number of Native Americans, who were living on or around Cherokee Street, who would sit for Bob to paint in their historic traditional dress. A number of these paintings are in the current exhibition.
Bob spent most of his days tending to his garden as well as restoring and designing his historic home, The Dielmann-Kaiser House on Broadway. Bob passed away in 2023.
