Back to the Artist Page

Donna Schuster Biography
Born in Milwaukee, WI on January 26, 1883, the daughter of a wealthy cigar maker.  Schuster studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and Boston Museum School under Edmund Tarbell and Frank Benson.  In 1912 she joined William Merritt Chase on a painting tour of Belgium.  After her move to southern California the next year, she again studied with Chase in his summer class in Carmel.  A spinster, in 1923 she built a home in the Los Angeles hills overlooking Griffith Park where she spent her remaining years.  During the 1920’s Schuster taught at Otis Art Institute and was active as an organizer and exhibitor in several artists’ groups.  Her subject matter included harbor scenes, landscapes, figure studies, and Cezannesque water lilies in both oil and watercolor.