Edward Cucuel (1875-1954)

Edward Cucuel was born as the son of a newspaper publisher in San Francisco. Already at the age of 14 he attended the local academy of arts. Still a teenager he was employed as an illustrator by the newspaper "The Examiner".

When the 17-year-old Cucuel was sent to Paris, he entered the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi. Then he went to Jean-Léon Gérôme🎨 at the Académie des Beaux Arts.

In 1896 Edward Cucuel returned to the USA and settled in New York.

After half a year, when he worked again as a newspaper illustrator, Cucuel went back to Paris to devote himself to art.

He spent two years there, and then travelled through France and Italy to study the old masters. In Germany, Edward Cucuel went to Berlin, where he mainly worked as an illustrator.

In 1907 Cucuel moved to Munich, the city that should become his home for a long time. There, he joined the artists' Group "Scholle", which was dominated by the outstanding artistic figure Leo Putz🎨. The group took care of him in artistic matters.

Furthermore Edward Cucuel took part in the exhibitions of the Secession in Munich.

In 1912 the artist successfully exhibited some of his works in Paris.

His paintings resemble the French impressionists as to colour and motives.

His favourite motives are portraits of women and figures in bright interiors, Plein-air-representations with social scenes and charming Bavarian landscapes.

From 1914-1918 Edward Cucuel lived in Holzhausen at the Ammersee and later put up studios in Munich and Starnberg.

Since 1928 he spent his summers there and regularly lived in New York during the winter until 1934.

Because of the beginning of Word War II Edward Cucuel finally left Germany in 1939.

He settled in the Californian town Pasadena, where he led a secluded life until his death in 1954.

Edward Cucuel era figlio di una donna inglese ed un editore di giornali francese. All'età di 14 anni, Cucuel diventa illustratore del giornale "The Examiner".

Ha frequentato l'Accademia d'arte di San Francisco e l'Académie Julian, l'Académie Colarossi e l'Académie des Beaux-Arts a Parigi sotto la guida di Jean-Léon Gérôme🎨.

Nel 1896 lavorò come illustratore di giornali a New York, poi tornò in Francia ed in Italia per studiare i "vecchi maestri".

Viaggi di studio portarono Cucuel in Spagna, Algeria, Ceylon, Giappone e Cina nel 1904.

In seguito ha lavorato a Berlino come illustratore ea Monaco (1907), dove è entrato a far parte del gruppo di artisti Die Scholle.

È stato particolarmente influenzato da Leo Putz🎨 e dai suoi lavori all'aperto.

Nella cerchia locale di artisti, Cucuel conobbe la sua seconda moglie, la pittrice di fiori e nature morte Clara Lotte von Marcard (1897-1968).

La sua prima moglie fu la pittrice e artigiana Marie Tscheuschner.

Nel 1902 la coppia che viveva a Berlino ebbe una figlia. Durante la prima guerra mondiale, Cucuel dipinse a Holzhausen am Ammersee, poi a Monaco e Starnberg (1918), dove furono create le sue immagini di barche.

Nel 1939 si stabilì a Pasadena, in California, dove visse fino alla sua morte nel 1954. A Cucuel piaceva dipingere figure di donne nello stile degli impressionisti francesi🎨.