Alan Davie

Few British artists of the 20th century are quite as intriguing as Alan Davie. Low key and independent, Davie operated outwith the art world 'scene' until his death in 2014 which means that, despite his popularity amongst critics and collectors, he isn't the household name he perhaps deserves to be. 

Taking reference points from a vast area of art history - Celtic, Buddhist, African, Hindi and Modernist to name but a few - he created a language of emblems and symbols with the aim of capturing the 'mysterious and spiritual forces normally beyond our comprehension'. Davie gradually moved away from gestural expression to a more clarified vision, as shown in this fantastic example which is amply demonstrative of the complexity of his ideas.