Edwin Dickman was born Buckley in Chicago on September 5, 1929. After spending his childhood in New York during the Great Depression and working briefly as a student and journalist, he was drafted into the military in 1953. He served in the U.S. Navy for two years, in a position that did not suit him but allowed him to travel throughout Europe. In 1957, Edwin left the U.S. for Scotland to begin a career as a painter. After studying for a year at the Royal Academy of Edinbrugh, he moved to Berlin in 1959 to begin master's studies with Professor Fritsch at the Berlin Art Academy. Since then Edwin has established himself as an artist in Berlin, Germany.