Frank Bruning was born December 5, 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri. He lived his entire life in St. Louis, in the same home he was born in until his death on May 29, 2009. He was an only child, and lived with his mother until her death, then he lived alone. Frank served in the U.S. Army during WWII and worked in Army G2 intelligence in Washington, DC and several undisclosed locations. He was a government employee until his retirement.
He was a self-taught artist preferring to paint in an oil medium. He painted only for pleasure and private gifting throughout his life. He became a close friend of Dr. George P. Cuttino, a distinguished Professor of Medieval History at Emory University. Frank painted an entire miniature collection of portraits of the kings and queens of England over a period of years, giving them to Cuttino as Christmas gifts. This collection was left to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, who subsequently sold them to a private collector in Atlanta, Georgia. Through Bruning's association with Cuttino, he was commissioned by Emory University in the early 1970's to create a University Coat of Arms, which is still in use today.
Bruning painted in many styles and time periods and in later life painted many historical scenes of the St. Louis area. He was a very quiet, shy individual, but had a sense of humor that often came through in his paintings. Many of his works are incredibly detailed.
His remaining art collection was left to Susan and Mac Ralls of St. Simons and Atlanta. They were lifelong friends who were introduced to Bruning through Dr. George Cuttino and their connection to Emory.