Head of a Young Man

Alexander Mann was born in Glasgow, the second son of James Mann, a prosperous merchant and collector. From an early age he received drawing lessons from Robert Greenlees and then attended evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art where Greenless was headmaster. In 1877 he enrolled at the Academie Julian in Paris where he studied under Carolus-Duran and learnt the importance of academic study and drawing from the model. His painting A Bead Stringer, Venice gained a honourable mention at the Salon in 1885 and was then shown in Glasgow. Mann returned to Britain and settled in the Oxfordshire/Berkshire borders in the village of Blewbury and established himself as a landscape and genre painter. Although thereafter living in England, he was consider to be one of the Glasgow Boys. He made many return trips to Scotland but also travelled extensively, visiting America and the Caribbean and making many trips to France, Spain and North Africa. In 1892 he accompanied John Lavery on a painting tour through Spain. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Fine Art Society, New Gallery, Ridley Art Club, New English Art Club and Society of British Artists and elsewhere. He was a member of the New English Art Club and Royal Institute of Oil Painters. Works by him are in many public collections.