When the painter Cyril Mann met his wife-to-be Renske van Slooten in 1959, a significant new chapter in his career began. A bright-eyed art student newly arrived in London from Dutch Indonesia, she inspired a decade of vivid, light-infused paintings. Mann's subjects of the period include his young bride (clothed and unclothed), himself and a host of still lifes, all painted in an original neo-Turneresque style. To celebrate the publication of Renske's memoir, The Girl in the Green Jumper, Piano Nobile brought together a significant group of Cyril Mann's paintings made between 1960 and 1967.
Cyril Mann's artistic heroes were Michelangelo, Turner and Cézanne. Working in post-war London, he combined these influences and walked a singular path of stylistic invention, always painting from life and consistently renewing his approach. The Girl in the Green Jumper: My Life With the Artist Cyril Mann chronicles the highs and lows of Mann's career, as well as describing his wife's role as muse, model and money earner. The book includes an introduction by the art critic Mark Hudson.
Piano Nobile represents the Estate of Cyril Mann.
