Francis Davison

Francis Davison born 1919, London. Lived in England and France. Went to Cambridge University where he read English and anthropology. 1946 Davison began to draw. After the war during which Davison was a conscientious objector, he was invited to St Ives by Patrick Heron whom had been a fellow pupil with Davison at St George's, Harpenden, in the 1930s. Heron introduced Davison to the artist Margaret Mellis whilst on his visit 1946 and in 1948 they married. Moved and lived for a few years in Davisons family home in the Antibes. 1950 returned to England and Davison fully concentrated on his artistic career. His paintings at this time were simplified flat forms and then in 1952 he moved to making collages and never returned to painting. Davisons first showing was at Roland, Browse and Delbanco in 1955, thereafter he worked almost invisibly for 25 years. 1981 Davison held one-man show at the Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield. 1982 held one-man show at the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. The Arts Council organised a major exhibition of his collages at the Hayward Gallery in 1983. Davison was included in several group shows. His works have been exhibited regularly at the Redfern Gallery and held a retrospective of his collages in 1986.

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