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Paul Grimm (1892-1974)
“California Ranch”
1972
Oil on canvas board
20” H x 30” W (image size)
25.5” H x 35.5” W (frame size)
Signed lower left: Paul Grimm
Estimated value: $3,000 - $5,000
Artist Biography
Paul Grimm was born of German parents in South Africa in 1891. When brought to the United States at age seven, Grimm already showed promise as an artist. At 18 he won a scholarship to study art at the Düsseldorf Royal Academy. After many years at that prestigious school, Paul Grimm moved to Hollywood in 1919 and began his art career painting backdrops for the movie studios. Leaving the movie capital, Grimm settled in Palm Springs in 1932 and remained a resident there for the rest of his life.
Paul Grimm maintained a small studio-gallery in downtown Palm Springs where such notables as President Dwight D. Eisenhower often visited and shared confidences. Eisenhower once wrote of Grimm: “I profited from the experience of seeing how a real artist creates the effects he wants.”
Although Grimm painted many scenes of the High Sierra (where he could often be found in summers), his fame lies as a painter of the Southern California desert and its many moods. Of Grimm’s desert works, one reviewer wrote, “His canvases, which for their sheer magnificence and power of conception and execution, rank as probably the finest work ever done on the subject.” Grimm resided in Palm Springs until his passing in 1974.
Auction Information
The 15th Annual Fine Art Auction Fundraiser
Saturday, August 16, 2025
The silent auction starts at 3:00 PM.
The live auction starts at 4:00 PM.
Auction admission: $15.00 SPAM members, $20.00 Non-members
All proceeds benefit the Santa Paula Art Museum, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization #2478728.
All major credit cards, check, and cash are accepted.
Sales tax will be applied to all hammer prices. There is no buyer’s premium.