Gaetano Cecere

Gaetano Cecere (November 26, 1894 – June 10, 1985) was an American sculptor. He was born, educated and worked in New York City. He studied with Hermon Atkins MacNeil and attended the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and the National Academy of Design. In 1920, Cecere won the Prix de Rome and studied at the American Academy in Rome for several years. During this period a "tendency to simplify forms for decorative effects was developed." He was a member of the National Sculpture Society.

Cecere served as director of the Department of Sculpture at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in New York City. In 1940, he was selected to redecorate portions of the U.S. Capitol building's House of Representatives Chamber. Later in his career, Cecere taught art at Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Cecere sculpted the plaster model for the first version of the Distinguished Service Cross and later designed the Soldier's Medal. Provided by Wikipedia