Albert Mason - South African Artist, Paintings 1895 - 1950

Albert Mason was born in London, England 1895 - 1950

Art Education
- London University (architecture); St Martins Lane Academy, under John Holt; under private masters on the continent

Short Artist Biography
- Albert Mason was persuaded by his father to study architecture, but soon switched to picture-
restoration, painting in his spare time.
- 1914: Albert Mason served in armed forces as a Lewis gunner in France, twice wounded and invalided out.
- 1918: Albert Mason came to South Africa (Jhb); struggled to live from his painting, supplementing income with magazine illustration; spent two years on the diamond diggings, then returned permanently to Jhb. Worked at portraiture, landscape and still-life, designed the first poster issued by the Jhb Publicity Association.
- 1927: Albert Mason appointed to staff of new Wits Tech School of Art, teaching Commercial Art and Poster Design; illustrated `Op die Spoor van ons Grootwild',
- 193: Spent greater part of his life in Jhb, but travelled extensively in southern Africa. His views of Jhb and its mining-activities have become valued Africana. Albert Mason exhibited on several notable international group exhibitions, but rarely held one-man shows. Albert Mason painted four murals for the Capitol Theatre, Pretoria and executed a number of sculptural commissions. His Giant Proteas was reproduced by E Schweikerdt (Pty) Ltd

Art Exhibitions
- 1926: first one-man exhibition, Jhb; South African Academy exhibitions.
- 1939-48: Royal Acadamy; Royal Institute of Oil Painters; posthumously
- 1952: Paris Salon

Public Art Collections
South African National Art Gallary, CT; Durban Art Gallery; Pretoria Art Museum; Africana Museum, Jhb

 

Source
Berman, E. 1994. Art & Artists of South Africa . Southern Book Publishers.

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