Alan Davie

Alan Davie (1920-2014), born in Grangemouth, was a Scottish painter who studied Drawing and Painting at Edinburgh College of Art from 1938 to 1940. Strongly inspired by Zen philosophies, Davie’s paintings consist of responsive and spontaneous compositions painted with obsessive, multi-layered mark-making to form images that slip between abstraction and representation. His roster of references and influences, which is extensive, also includes Jungian psychoanalysis, Pictish symbol stones, contemporary abstract painters, and his lifelong passion and aptitude for playing music.

Alan Davie’s work can be found in museum collections worldwide, including the Arts Council Collection and the British Council Collection in the UK, Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice, IT; The Museum of Modern Art in New York, US; and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, NL, amongst many others.