This self-portrait dates from the period of Davie's studies at Edinburgh College of Art. Although best known for his paintings with expressive brushwork, Davie was also a skilled draughtsman. This is one of the earliest works by the artist in the possession of the Modern One. The Gallery owns a large collection of Davie's work, including some twenty paintings and numerous gouaches, drawings and prints. Many of the works were given to the Gallery by the artist in 1997.
Alan Davie (Scottish, born 1920)
Davie was born in Grangemouth, near Edinburgh and studied at Edinburgh College of Art. In 1948 he saw the work of the American Abstract Expressionists and was impressed by their intensity and freedom. Davie abandoned traditional methods of composition and subject matter and sought to free his art from premeditated decision-making. This approach owes much to the artist's interest in Zen Buddhism and there is also an analogy with jazz - Davie was a jazz saxophonist early on in his career. In the later 1950s and 1960s Davie's brushwork became more controlled and the imagery more legible. Mysterious symbols began to appear, found in sources as varied as American Indian pottery, maps, ancient rock-carvings and Aboriginal art.
![Self Portrait [Opus D.11]](http://www.nationalgalleries.org/media/42/collection/GMA 4255.jpg)
