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Educated at the University of Glasgow and initially destined for a legal career, Guthrie then turned his attention to art. He had no formal training but moved to London on the death of his father and met Pettie and Orchardson and produced some subject pictures. He travelled to Paris in 1882 and by 1884 he was painting at Cockburnspath alongside Crawhall, Melville and Henry and making his name as part of the Glasgow School of artists or 'Glasgow Boys'. His early work was mainly landscape and figure paintings , but he turned his attention increasingly to portraits. He became an Associate Member of the RSA in 1888 and an Academician in 1892. He held the office of President of the RSA from 1902 until 1919 and was responsible for the 1910 reconstruction and redecoration of the RSA building and the 1910 Parliamentary Order which secured the former Royal Institution Building as the permanent home of the RSA. He exhibited at the RSA Annual Exhibitions from 1887 until 1930. He was knighted in 1903. "Sir James Guthrie's Bequests Sir James Guthrie, LL.D., ex-President of the Royal Scottish Academy, who died at Bowmore [sic], Rhu, Dumbartonshire, on 6th September 1930, £11, 060, 19s. 6d. -Deceased directed his trustees to give over to the Council of the Royal Scottish Academy such of his books on art subjects as they do not already have in their Library , as may be selected by their librarian , together with such of his papers and correspondence relating to Academy matters or other art Institutions as they might wish to preserve." (The Scotsman, 1931-02-14)