Eleanor Merriam Lukits (1909 -1948) was born in Detroit, Michigan. She first leaned to paint from her father, the artist James A. Merriam. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1920 when Eleanor was in her early twenties. She enrolled in the Lukits School of Fine Arts, where she studies classical art under the director,

Theodore Lukits Theodore Nikolai Lukits (November 26, 1897 – January 20, 1992) was a Romanian American portrait and landscape painter. His initial fame came from his portraits of glamorous actresses of the silent film era, but since his death, his Asian-inspir ...

. Eleanor became one of Lukits's favorite models at the school. After several years of study, exhibiting her work, and winning awards at the

Friday Morning Club The Friday Morning Club building is located in Downtown Los Angeles, California. It was the second home of the women's club also named the Friday Morning Club (FMC), for 61 years. The large and elaborate six−story clubhouse was designed by arch ...

and

Ebell Club The Ebell Society was a woman's club with its first chapter in Oakland, California. It was founded in 1876 and was originally called the International Academy for the Advancement of Women. The club's purpose was the advancement of women in cultural ...

, she married Theodore Lukits in 1937 in Santa Barbara, California. She loved painting models and actors and actresses in ethnic costumes, particularly Spanish costumes. Eleanor first aspired to be a portrait painter but later specialized in nature studies and floral still lifes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukits, Eleanor Merriam 20th-century American women artists 1909 births 1948 deaths Artists from Detroit