De Gauss was born in Budapest. He came from a noble family in Rijeka, a city in what is now in Croatia. After studying classics in Rijeka, he went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest. He graduated from the academy with an official qualification as a drawing teacher. He then returned to Rijeka to live and work. In 1928 he was one of the founders of a group of avant-garde painters in the city. In 1945 he moved to the Italian city of Trieste. He died there at the age of 69.