With the colours and forms he employs, he aims to reflect the rhythm and freedom that might be used by jazz musicians to improvise.
Davie frequently sought to incorporate ideas about music into his art.
Before coming to prominence as a painter he had been a professional saxophonist, playing with Edinburgh’s Tommy Sampson Orchestra as it was broadcast nationally and toured Europe.
During the 1950s, Davie started to make an international name as an artist, holding his first solo exhibition, a sell-out, in New York.
However, though his career as a visual artist took over, he did not consider his interests – which also included Zen Buddhism and the psychoanalytical work of Carl Jung – as mutually exclusive. Instead he brought them into in his compositions.
Richard Green’s exhibition takes place in his New Bond Street gallery from June 12-July 17. It showcases Davie’s artistic development from 1954-76 with a series of works priced from £10,000-85,000.
The display coincides with the exhibition John Bellany and Alan Davie: Cradle of Magic running in Lambeth’s Newport Street Gallery until September 1. It is curated by Damien Hirst using works from his private collections.
