Alexander Hollweg was born in London in 1936. He was the son of German ice-hockey star Joachim Albrecht von Bethmann-Hollweg (known as Mops) and English novelist and writer Barbara Wadsworth (known as Bar). His brother Derek (formerly Dietrich) was born in 1934.

He was the grandson of English painter Edward Wadsworth.

Both Alex and Derek attended Ashdown House prep school, then Charterhouse, and then they both went to New College Oxford, after 2 years National Service. Alex was with the British Army on the Rhine, and then took up his place to read French and German.

However he found himself spending more and more time building and painting scenery for the University Experimental Theatre Club, and also attending life drawing classes at the Ruskin School of Art, where he met art student Geraldine James who was to become his wife.

Alex also met Pat Newland who was at Somerville College studying botany, and this became a lifelong friendship with a big impact on his life and work.

Alex and Geraldine lost touch when Geraldine left to work as a scene painter for the RSC, but met again by chance in London's Portobello Road. Alex had decided to apply to study painting at Camberwell School of Art and asked Geraldine's opinion on his portfolio. They married in 1962.

He studied at Camberwell from 1960-63? under the tutelage of Robert Morley, and Frank Auerbach amongst others. (He contributed a piece of writing about his time there to the book on Camberwell School of Art by ?)

Alex and Geraldine's first home was in Bedford Park, West London. Their children Rebecca and Lucas were born in 1964 and 1967.

Alex taught General Studies at Maidstone College of Art full time for 8 years, and did his own work in the evenings and at weekends, at first in the garage at Blenheim Road, and then in a rented studio in nearby ? Road.

Pat Newland had married John Wolseley who had inherited the ancient estate of Nettlecombe, in foothills of the Brendon Hills, West Somerset. Alex and Geraldine began visiting regularly and in 1973 they moved to Nettlecombe to start a new life.

Nettlecombe at that time was full of artists, musicians, writers and self-sufficiency enthusiasts - and for a few years they kept animals communally and had weekly farm meetings. The inhabitants and their friends had huge parties, with music and dancing and feasting. Alex worked in his studio in the old granary and was a much-loved visiting lecturer at Bristol College of Art, alongside Nettlecombe neighbours and great friends Lizzie Cox and Julian Fraser. He then converted an old packing shed on his land into a painting studio and woodworking workshop. He was working on international shows in Italy and New York.

At the same time he was a fully engaged member of the local community, rehearsing on tuba twice a week with the then British Legion Silver Band, (now West Somerset Brass), and playing guitar at village fetes. He loved growing vegetables in his own vegetable garden and harvesting apples from his small orchard.

He was a very present father to his two children, and would go and light the fire in his studio and then join them for breakfast before school. He was always positive and encouraging and met difficulties with humour and his old national service expression, 'alright lads, it's a challenge!'