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32 Alan Davie (1920-2014) Scottish Totem Top (2012)signed top right & dated 2012
oil on paper
30 x 62cm (12 x 24in)
Provenance:
Gimpel Fils, London (label verso) stock ref: GF14898;
Private Collection
€3,000-4,000 (£2,608-3,478)
James Alan Davie was a Scottish painter and musician born in Grangemouth in 1920 and studied at Edinburgh College
of Art in the late 1930s. An early exhibition of his work came through the Society of Scottish Artists. Davie travelled
widely and in Venice became influenced by other painters of the period, such as Paul Klee, Jackson Pollock and Joan
Miró, as well as by a wide range of cultural symbols. Like Pollock, many of Davie’s works have been executed by
standing above the painting, which is laid on the ground. He added layers of paint until sometimes the original painting
has been covered over many times. In addition to painting, whether on canvas or paper (he has stated that he prefers to
work on paper), Davie has produced several screen prints. His paintings appear at once apocalyptic and triumphant. In
his lectures Davie stressed the importance of improvisation as his chosen method. His stance was that of an inspired
soothsayer resisting the inroads of rational civilization.