Alan Davie

After the Second World War, Davie played tenor saxophone in the Tommy Sampson Orchestra, which was based in Edinburgh and broadcast and toured in Europe.[8]: 34  Declaring that the spiritual path is incompatible with planning ahead, he attempted to paint as automatically as possible, which was intended to bring forth elements of his unconscious.[9] In this, he shared a vision with surrealist painters such as Miró, and he was also fascinated by the work of psychoanalyst Carl Jung.[9] Championing the primitive, he saw the role of the artist as akin to that of the shaman,[6] and remarked upon how disparate cultures have adopted common symbols in their visual languages.In the early 1970s his interest in free improvisation led to a close association with the percussionist Tony Oxley.
Edinburgh College of ArtGuthrie AwardGrangemouthSalon des Artistes FrançaisSociety of Scottish ArtistsSecond World Wartenor saxophonePeggy GuggenheimWhitechapel GalleryEugen HerrigelZen in the Art of ArcheryunconscioussurrealistCarl Jungshamanbass clarinetTony OxleyBarry GuyHertfordshireArt Institute of ChicagoDallas Museum of ArtFine Arts Museums of San FranciscoMetropolitan Museum of ArtMuseum of Modern ArtNational Galleries of ScotlandPeggy Guggenheim CollectionTate GalleryArt Gallery of New South WalesValparaiso UniversityUniversity of OklahomaHarvard University Art MuseumsHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenMildred Lane Kemper Art MuseumOklahoma City Museum of ArtThe Priseman Seabrook CollectionSan Diego Museum of ArtSouthampton City Art GalleryThe Hepworth WakefieldWorcester City Art Gallery & MuseumNational Portrait GalleryGimpel FilsJohn BellanyThe Tony Oxley/Alan Davie DuoElaboration of ParticularsFMP/Free Music ProductionFalkirk HeraldThe ScotsmanTate St IvesArt UK