Born in New York City, he has been on his own since age 14.

At 18, he designed, built and paddled a 14-foot kayak 2,000 miles to the Carolina Sea Islands. 
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Until the age of 26 he immersed himself in philosophy (B.A. Queens College, CUNY) and writing. He was awarded the Peter Pauper Press Award for two novelettes, and had a play, The Gift, produced in Monterrey, California, where he served as a Psychological Research Specialist and French interpreter in the U.S. Army. 

In 1968 he returned to Manhattan to paint. He studied at the Art Student’s League in 1970 with Arthur Foster. The Salmagundi Club awarded him its Young Artist’s Scholarship from 1971-1975. 

Zuchman moved to a farm in Walden, Vermont and earned his Masters degree in Painting while studying with Jim Gahagan at Goddard College. He then moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Zuchman has served as president of the National Forum of Professional Artists, vice president of Artists Equity, and vice president of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society. He is a Professor of Studio Art and Aesthetics, Emeritus, at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. 

Zuchman’s paintings have been exhibited internationally with the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies Program of which he is a “Cultural Ambassador.” His work may be found in private, corporate and institutional collections worldwide. 

Zuchman lived in West Philadelphia with his wife, painter Deborah Gross-Zuchman.
Their restored 19th century home/studio displays their paintings, sculpture, mosaics and murals.           

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