Musselman, Darwin B. (1916-2001).

David Victor Cain Residence, Bodie by Darwin B. Musselman (1916-2001) 24" x 48", Tempera/Board Est.: $2,000 - $3,000 Sold by John Moran Auctioneers for $3,013 on 10/13/2009 A New World Record!

Darwin Musselman (1916 – 2001)

One of the “California Style” painters, though he worked in a variety of styles, Darwin Musselman is known for his precisely constructed compositions in oil and watercolor. He was born in Selma, a small town in California’s Central Valley, in 1916. Upon entering Fresno State College he studied engineering briefly before switching to painting which would become his lifelong vocation. In Fresno he studied with Lyonel Feininger and after graduating attended Art Center School in Los Angeles where he studied on a scholarship with Barse Miller and Fletcher Martin. In 1939 he returned to Fresno to work as a commercial artist in advertising, until joining the war effort by working on Navy ship construction in San Francisco. He would subsequently earn an MFA from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland and a Master’s from UC Berkeley. Musselman was an influential teacher, serving on the faculties of the California College of Arts and Crafts and Fresno State College. He was a prolific award winner and a member of American Watercolor Society and National Watercolor Society. Critics noted his work’s careful organization and exploration of intersecting orthogonal shapes. His last show was a 55-year retrospective held in 1999. Musselman’s final years were spent in Lancaster, PA.