Portrait Of Felix Mann
Signed Print

Felix Mann, the subject of this lithograph, was a German journalist and photographer, as well a scholar and well-known connoisseur of prints. Hockney depicted him again in another lithograph of the same year, in a similar pose but depicted en face, entitled The Connoisseur. Mann emigrated to Britain in 1934 and would be acquainted with Hockney years later. Building up a reputable, extensive collection of prints during his lifetime, Mann’s collection now resides in the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. As aforementioned, in this lithograph Mann is sitting side on to the viewer with a stern pose. Much like the portraits of Mo McDermott and John Kasmin, Mann’s features are executed in greater detail whilst his suit and surrounding details are rendered more hastily, with crude, sweeping marks. The almost exaggerated shading around Mann’s face adds a solemn air to his countenance.