ARTIST HENRY DIETRICH

German-born Henry Dietrich started his art career at age 16, immersing himself in drawing and painting. He enrolled in a prestigious Berlin art school in 1935, but during the rise of the Third Reich, half-Jewish Dietrich was informed that he would not be allowed to continue his studies. Finding refuge in Shanghai—China being the only country Dietrich could enter without a visa—met his wife-to-be, Martha, in 1944. The couple set out to make a new life in the United States in 1948, following which Dietrich produced a staggering 500 paintings until he died in 2000.

Despite his evident talent, distinctive artistic voice, and the prolific nature of his work, Henry distrusted galleries and gallery representation. Thus, much of the work he produced remained unsold. He made his living as an illustrator for The San Francisco Chronicle.