His father, Simon Kühl, was the Sexton and organist at St. Lorenz Church [de].

In 1888, he married Henriette Simonson-Castelli (1860–1921), daughter of the portrait painter, David Simonson [de].

At the turn of the century, he and Carl Bantzer, a friend from Paris, were the driving forces behind the establishment of the Verein bildender Künstler Dresden [de] (artists' association).

The following year, he was awarded a gold medal at the Große Berliner Kunstausstellung.

The Munich City Museum houses 15 drawings by Kuehl, from the collection of Joseph Maximilian von Maillinger.