Alberic Collin was born on April 6th 1886 at Antwerp, Belgium, and was to remain a citizen of the city all his life. He studied at art at the Antwerp Academy from the age of sixteen or seventeen, and seems to have had no doubt as to his vocation as a sculptor; specifically a sculptor of animals.

The Zoological Gardens at Antwerp were constitutionally committed to attracting artists to work within its walls, and Collin habitually stated that self-motivated study of the animals there constituted the most important part of his education.

He seems to have had no single gallery representing his work either in Belgium or abroad. He acted as his own agent, and exhibited at the annual Salons of Belgian and French artists. He came to...