Alan Davie CBE, R.A.

1920-2014

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Red Scrubber

Born in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire. Studied Edinburgh College of Art, 1937-40, where he was influenced by John Maxwell. Won several scholarships. Served in World War II and then worked for a while as a professional jazz musician. His interests also lay in writing poetry, designing textiles and pottery and he also worked as a jeweller. First solo show was held at Grant's Bookshop, Edinburgh, 1946 where it was clearly shown that Davie held an interest in the work of Paul Klee and primitive artists. Over the years there were a number of such influences on his work: the American Abstract Expressionists such as Pollock and Gorky, Oriental mysticism including Zen Buddhism, gliding and swimming and Indian mythology. Davie viewed art as a way of gaining spiritual enlightenment. His later work was less expressionistic, more full of symbolism. 1947 Davie married artist and potter Janet Gaul, travelled in Europe where he met the collector Peggy Guggenheim, which broadened his horizons. 1950 held solo shows with Gimpel Fils and had first New York exhibition in 1956 held at Catharine Viviano Gallery. 1957-9 won Gregory Fellow Award at Leeds University. 1962 Davie had retrospective at Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam which went on tour and from then he consolidated his international reputation with a number of overseas retrospectives. Fifty year retrospective at McLellan Galleries, Glasgow, 1992, also at Barbican Art Gallery, 1993. Later shows included Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, 200-1; Adam Gallery, Bath, 2001, an eightieth-birthday show toured by the University of Brighton; Gimpel Fils, 2001-2, small paintings from 1949-2001. Jingling Space, at Tate St Ives in 2003-4 showed the evolution of Davies work from the 1930s. Tate Gallery holds his work.