Grimm was born in King Williamstown, South Africa, to German parents, who brought him to the U.S. at age 7, settling in Rochester, N.Y.

When he was 18, Grimm won a scholarship to study at the Düsseldorf Royal Academy. In 1919 he moved to Hollywood, California, where he painted backdrops for the early movie industry.

The desert called, and in 1932, he moved permanently to Palm Springs; his studio-gallery was located at 428 North Palm Canyon Drive.

President Eisenhower, a frequent desert visitor while in office, and later resident, once wrote about visiting Grimm in his studio: “I profited from the experience of seeing how a real artist creates the effects he wants.”¹

Although he painted the High Sierras, the Spanish missions, and Indians, Grimm is most famous for his Southern California desert landscapes.

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¹Edan Milton Hughes, Artists in California 1786-1940, 3^rd edition