Artist Bio

Early Fine Art Dealers specializes in valuing and purchasing important paintings from the 17th century through the early 20th century. Our buyers are in constant search for fine works of art and paintings, spanning the globe for original well-known Old Master, European, American, and early California art. Each year we preview and participate in hundreds of private sales, art shows, gallery showings, exhibitions and auctions. We are in constant search for fine works to purchase. Please contact us today to discuss the sale of one of your paintings. Please note that our gallery only deals with original paintings. No Prints Please.

WE ARE DEALERS OF ORIGINAL PAINTINGS: To contact one of our gallery fine art experts about selling your painting or buying paintings for your collection, complete the form below. Please note that our gallery only deals with original paintings. NO PRINTS PLEASE.

Jean Mannheim (1863 - 1945)

Supporting himself with his skills as a bookbinder, German-born painter Jean Mannheim would eventually be known for his brilliant and boldly colored landscapes of the Southern California region where he spent the later part of his life.

Born in Germany in 1863 he left for Paris rather than serve in the Army. He worked as a bookbinder while he attended classes at the Academie Colarossi and the Ecole Delacluse. He studied under Bouguereau and DeLancey before deciding to immigrate to the United States.

He arrived in Chicago in the 1880s and worked as a portrait painter before heading to Decatur, Illinois to teach art classes. He was offered a position at Frank Brangwyn's school in London, and he headed to England for two years. He again returned to the United States in 1905 where he taught at the Denver Art School for the next three years. He settled permanently in Pasadena, California in 1908 where he would eventually serve as the founder of the Stickney Memorial School of Fine Arts in 1913.

Mannheim painted a wide range of subjects, but it is the landscapes of California that demonstrated the heaviest influence on his method. His earlier figures and landscapes were more finished with tighter brushwork and a traditional palette, but after his relocation to Pasadena a remarkable lightness enters his work, reflected in looser brush strokes and a significantly brighter palette.

He exhibited widely throughout his entire career, including the Paris Salon and the National Academy of Design. He was a member of the California Art Club, and his works are in several major collections, including the Denver Museum and the Orange County Museum in California.

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