£4,000
Contemporary & Post-War Art | 595
Auction: 16 April 2020 at 12:00 BST
Mixed media collage
Biography: Francis Davison spent his childhood in Cannes, the adopted son of George and Joan Davison, who had made their fortune through the Eastman Kodak company. He was sent to boarding school in England, where he met Patrick Heron, who became a life-long friend. Following the Second World War, he moved to St. Ives where Heron introduced him to Margaret Mellis, who later became his wife. Together they moved to London, and then the South of France, where he first started to paint and draw, inspired by the landscape surrounding the family property. They returned to England in 1950, settling in Sussex and establishing a farm. In 1952, Davison started making collages, using torn paper, and a stark colour palette. He only started to receive recognition for his work in the late 1970s, with inclusion in some high-profile exhibitions. His popularity and renown has increased since his death, with several exhibitions and an acknowledgment of him as an inspiration from Damien Hirst.