Gustav Adolph Magnussen 1864 - 1944
Bullfrog Lake SOLD	Laguna Canyon Road	Pekingese Dog

Gustav (not Gustave) Adolph Magnussen was born in Schleswig- Holstein, Northern Germany, near the border with Denmark. He traveled and hiked throughout Europe as a young man. His art training was in the old German classical style at the University of Heidelberg. He came to the United States and became of resident of San Francisco in 1900, moving soon afterward to Los Angeles. He was closely associated with Emil Kosa, Sr., William Wendt, and Henry Leopold Richter and his wife. He lived in various places including Annondale and Newport Beach, and married Lura Bisant (listed as Laura Bisant in Hughes and Davenports), also an artist. During the 1930's, he had a gallery on the Balboa Boardwalk. In addition to his bright California Impressionist paintings, his works included large scale historical depictions in the classical German style such as a monumental depiction of Cleopatra on the rug in front of Julius Caesar, and he also did Western historical paintings sometimes featuring Native Americans. He was a member of the Laguna Beach Artists Association.

Sources: The artist’s grandson Gustav Arthur Hopkins, and Lura Bisant relatives. Edan Hughes, Artists in California.