John Cunningham (1904-2004) was an American painter, teacher, and director of the Carmel Art Institute in

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,220, down from 3,722 a ...

, United States. In 1990, He became president ''

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

'' and transferred the responsibility of the Carmel Art Institute to the Carmel Art Association.

Early life and education

Cunningham was born on April 5, 1904, in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. In 1923, he attended the

Manhattan College Manhattan University (previously Manhattan College) is a private, Catholic university in New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers (Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools) as an academy fo ...

for two years. While attending Berkeley, he met Patricia "Pat" Stanley (1907-1984).

European influences

Following graduation, in 1929 Cunningham received a traveling fellowship, enabling he and Pat to study with the same teachers as

Hans Hofmann Hans Hofmann (March 21, 1880 – February 17, 1966) was a German-born American painter, renowned as both an artist and teacher. His career spanned two generations and two continents, and is considered to have both preceded and influenced Abstrac ...

at the Schule für Bildende Kunst (School of Fine Art) in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

André Lhote André Lhote (5 July 1885 – 24 January 1962) was a French Cubist painter of figure subjects, portraits, landscapes, and still life. He was also active and influential as a teacher and writer on art. Early life and education Lhote was bor ...

at the Académie Notre-Dame des Champs in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and

Beniamino Bufano Beniamino "Bene" Bufano (October 15, 1890August 18, 1970) was an Italian American sculptor, best known for his large-scale monuments representing peace and his modernist work which often featured smoothly rounded animals and relatively simple sha ...

Cagnes-sur-Mer Cagnes-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cagnes on Sea''; ) is a French Riviera town near Nice that is in the Alpes-Maritimes department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in southeastern France. Geography Cagnes-sur-Mer is a town in southeaste ...

, France. In 1930 he exhibited his paintings in Munich. Bufano had a studio in southern France and taught Cunningham stone carving.

Artistic career

In 1930, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Cunningham and his wife Patricia returned from Paris to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He worked as a decorator, created murals, for

Gimbels Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the comp ...

and

Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...

in New York City department stores. He also worked for

Livingston Manor, New York Livingston Manor is a hamlet (and a census-designated place) in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 1,053 at the 2020 census. Livingston Manor is located in the southern part of the town of Rockland. New York State Ro ...

, and the Firestone Winery in Los Olivos. This period of mural execution spanned from 1931 to 1933. In November 1932 he had a solo exhibition at the

De Young Museum The de Young Museum, formally the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, is a fine arts museum located in San Francisco, California, named for early San Francisco newspaperman M. H. de Young. Located on the West Side (San Francisco), West Side of the ci ...

in San Francisco. From 1938 to 1939, he accepted a job of staff artist for the State of California Governor's Commission at the University of California for the

Golden Gate International Exposition The Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) was a World's Fair held at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California, U.S. The exposition operated from February 18, 1939, through October 29, 1939, and from May 25, 1940, through September 29, ...

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

in San Francisco. By 1940, the institute was holding six week summer classes outdoors, teaching figure and landscape painting. In September 1992, Cunningham organized an auction and benefit for the Blind Children's Center of Los Angeles, featuring his paintings, at Graystone Mission in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

Death and legacy

On January 22, 2004, Cunningham died at the age of 99 at Hospice House. His dedication to art, education, and community engagement earned him the title of President ''

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

'' of the Carmel Art Institute.

References

External links

askArt Artist Biography

Carmel Art Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, John 1904 births 2004 deaths Artists from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Artists from New Jersey People from Aberdeen Township, New Jersey