Renske Mann: my life with artist Cyril Mann

Everyone has a story. What’s it like to be an artist’s muse? Renske Mann reflects on life with the artist Cyril Mann – including their time at Bevin Court – in her new book. Review by Nicola Baird

In 2014 Renske Mann contacted Islington Faces about a new people’s plaque that was being installed by Islington Council in the amazing Bevin Court. The green plaque was to celebrate the years (1956-1964) that her artist husband, Cyril Mann, worked in this council block.

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The story about artist Cyril Mann was super popular on this blog and has had over 5,000 views, read it here.

Now Renske’s own book, The Girl In The Green Jumper: my life with the artist Cyril Mann, offers us a lot more insider info about this artist whose stunning work includes many views across Islington.

Renske met Cyril when she was just 19 years and newly arrived from Holland. Their love story is powerful and messy.

Cyril died in 1980, still woefully under-known as an artist by collectors. That has gradually changed thanks to Renske continuing to promote his stunning, light-soaked paintings, many done in Islington.

During lockdown Renske set up a Facebook group focusing on Cyril Mann’s art, adding tantalising stories about how those paintings were created. As she was often in the room, or even the sitter, this makes for interesting tales. When the Facebook hive called for more details land Renske obliged. The result is a fascinating study of life with an artist whose fragile mental health, poverty and regrettable obscurity made him extraordinarily hard to live with. It’s also the story of an unsung genius from the 20th century.

The Girl In The Green Jumper: my life with the artist Cyril Mann is a wonderful book. Cyril’s paintings chart bombed out central London, gorgeous flowers, sun-soaked bodies (mostly Renske!) and life in Walthamstow, then Leyton.

Islington Faces is a huge fan of Mann’s energetic, sun-soaked, powerful paintings – and if you love Turner or Van Gogh you are likely to love them too. But the added bonus of this book is that Renske reflects with great honesty what life was like with Cyril Mann who was also a very difficult man who must surely have been affected by a father with shell shock from WW1, going to art school aged just 12, changing his mind about a missionary vocation and his own military experience in WW2. There are other elements Cyril identified to explain his behaviour and failure to make it big an artist – being working class and endlessly struggling with money.

Renske recalls his ranting but also the colours he used, how to really see his paintings and his obsession with painting towards the sun. Those paintings are an incredible legacy.

The detail in this book is compelling – because Renske was so often in the room – but so too are the complexities of being a muse and a young woman growing wise in the 1960s.

This book is totally recommended: for yourself or anyone with an interest in art and design.

• An exhibition of paintings from the 1960s by Cyril Mann – including some in the book – runs at Piano Nobile Gallery, 129 Portland Road, London W11 4LW (nearest  tube Holland Park) until end May 2022.
• Join the Cyril Mann (1911-1980) artist Facebook group here.
• The Girl in the Green Jumper: my life with artist Cyril Mann by Renske Mann (Pimpernel Press, £30) Link here to Amazon, but Renske says please use your local bookshop.

Over to you
If you’d like to nominate someone to be interviewed who grew up, lives or works in Islington, or suggest yourself, please let me know, via nicolabaird dot green at gmail dot com.  If you enjoyed this post you might like to look at the A-Z  index, or search by interviewee’s roles or Meet Islingtonians to find friends, neighbours and inspiration. Thanks for stopping by. Nicola