A musician and a painter, Cuprien was born in Brooklyn, New York. After studying music and art in New York and Philadelphia, he moved to Europe to further his studies in Munich, Paris, and Leipzig.  After briefly teaching art at Baylor University in Texas, he moved to Santa Catalina Island in 1910 and later settled in Laguna Beach. His Laguna Beach studio, dubbed The Viking, was a popular gathering spot, where he would give piano recitals and exhibit his art. Although known for his marine and coastal scenes, Sherman Library’s collection includes three of his landscape works.