Edward Cucuel

Edward Alfred Cucuel (1875-1954) was a newspaper illustrator turned Impressionist, known especially for his vibrant palettes and portraits of women in dappled landscapes. Born in San Francisco, Cucuel began his training at the San Francisco School of Design in the late 1880s; his father was a newspaper publisher, and the young Cucuel worked for several newspaper art departments in his teenage years. Cucuel moved to Paris in 1892 to continue his artistic studies at the Academy Julian and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He returned to the United States in 1896, working for half a year as an illustrator in New York, then left once more for Paris. After a couple of years spent painting in that city, Cucuel struck out to travel through France, Italy, and Germany to study the old masterworks in person. In 1907 he moved to Munich to establish a more permanent residence, training with Leo Putz to more seriously develop his Impressionist painting practice. Cucuel remained in Germany until 1939, gradually gaining recognition, with his works being shown in Paris salons and at the Art Institute of Chicago. The outbreak of World War II forced Cucuel to come back to the United States; he lived in Pasadena for the remainder of his life.