Maurice Cullen (artist)


Maurice Cullen was a Canadian Impressionist landscape artist known for his winter scenes.

Life and work

Cullen was born on June 6, 1866, in St. John's, Newfoundland. In 1870 his family moved to Montreal, Quebec. He travelled to Paris at the age of 22 to study painting at the École des Beaux-Arts and at the Académie Julian. While in Paris, he was influenced by the Impressionists. In 1910 he married Barbara Merchant Pilot, a widow whose son, his stepson, grew up to be the artist Robert Wakeham Pilot. In the same year, he was invited to be a member of the progressive Canadian Art Club.
Beginning in January 1918, Cullen served with Canadian forces in the First World War. He came to the attention of Lord Beaverbrook, who arranged for him to be commissioned as one of the Canadian official war artists along with Frederick Varley, J.W. Beatty and C. W. Simpson.
Cullen died March 28, 1934, at Chambly, Québec.

Exhibitions

The Galerie L'Art français exhibited Cullen's works. Another exhibition, Legacies of Impressionism in Canada: Three Exhibitions, was held from January 31 to April 19, 2009 at the Vancouver Art Gallery. In 2019, the National Gallery of Canada show, Canada and Impressionism: New Horizons, opened in Munich.

Selected works

Honours