Maurice Braun

Maurice Braun (1877-1941)

Maurice Braun was born in Hungary in 1877 and immigrated with his family to the U.S. in 1881. He originally settled in New York City. He began drawing at the age of three and in his early teens was apprenticed to a jeweler. In 1897 he began a five year study period at the National Academy of Design followed by one year with William M. Chase. Braun was an established portrait and figure painter in New York before moving to San Diego in 1910. After opening a studio on Point Loma, he founded the San Diego Academy of Art in 1912 and served as its director for many years. In 1915 he was a cofounder of the San Diego Art Guild and in 1929 cofounded Contemporary Artists in San Diego. Many of his students wen on to become important artists. Braun remained in San Diego except for the years 1922-24 when he maintained a studio in Silvermine, CT. His impressionist paintings of Southern Califofornia hills and High Sierra brought him great national acclaim. Awards include: Hallgarten prize, National Academy of Design, 1900, Gold medals Panama-California Exposition, San Diego, 1915-1916. Selected Exhibitions: Panama PacificInternational Exposition, 1915, Los Angeles County Musum of Art, 1918, 1920 (solos), Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939, National Academy of Design and Carnegie Institute annually, 1911-1915, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Art institute of Chicago