A native of Germany, Kaufmann studied in Paris under Benjamin Constant and Jean Paul Laurens.
He immigrated to the United States where he lived for a time in Pennsylvania obtaining membership with the Pittsburgh Art Association.
In 1921, Kaufmann relocated to Southern California eventually settling in Pasadena in 1934. That same year, he exhibited with the Pasadena Art Institute.
In addition to his marine and California paintings, Kaufmann also painted a number of landscapes of Colorado.