John Cunningham (1904-2004) was an American painter, teacher, and director of the Carmel Art Institute in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, United States.

[4] Following graduation, in 1929 Cunningham received a traveling fellowship, enabling he and Pat to study with the same teachers as Hans Hofmann at the Schule für Bildende Kunst (School of Fine Art) in Munich, André Lhote at the Académie Notre-Dame des Champs in Paris, and Beniamino Bufano in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France.

He worked as a decorator, created murals, for Gimbels and Macy's in New York City department stores.

[1] By 1940, the institute was holding six week summer classes outdoors, teaching figure and landscape painting.

[10] In September 1992, Cunningham organized an auction and benefit for the Blind Children's Center of Los Angeles, featuring his paintings, at Graystone Mission in Beverly Hills, California.