Richard Anuszkiewicz was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA in 1930. Both his parents were originally Polish but had met in the USA. Anuszkiewicz was interested in art from an early age and this was something that was encouraged by his father.
After attending a series of parish run schools, Richard transferred to Eire Technical High School aged 14 (1944). It was there that his fascination with art and drawing was allowed to develop, as he was able to draw each day for several hours. His exceptional talent was evident even during this time – winning a major artistic award as a senior in 1947.
In 1948, Anuszkiewicz gained a place at the Cleveland Institute of Art where he began to become interested in abstraction and the underlying design process behind creating a work of art.