Category
PaintingMedium
Oil/canvasType of Artwork
Original artworkSignature
versoSize of the artwork
213 x 172.5 cm(83.86 x 67.91 in)
Condition
excellentArtwork description
Alan DAVIE
(1920-2014)
Improvisations on a Chagall Theme no. 1(1966)
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Provenance:
Morone Gallery, Milan
Private collection, Paris (acquired from the above in 2004)
Exhibited:
Milan, Morone Gallery, Alan Davie “Il Risveglio della Conoscenza Intuitiva”, 2001 (incorrectly dated 1996)
Literature:
D. Hall & M. Tucker, Alan Davie, London, 1992, p. 178, no. 579
Notes:The 1960s proved to be a fruitful time for Alan Davie. His success enabled him to give up teaching and acquire a house in Cornwall. This extra time and space allowed Davie to return to his 1950 works which were influenced by Zen Buddhist principles; basic symbols of which (ie. the circle) were used to represent objects such as targets and the sun.
These quasi symbolic shapes were revisited in the 1960s and Davie began to look at works in which avatars were synonymous with the artist, namely Marc Chagall. The present work is mature example of Davie’s ability to interpret existing motifs and engage these with symbols of his own creation.