# Alan Davie artist context and auction value notes Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/alan-davie/ Profile generated: 2026-05-02T01:24:30.000Z Quality: high confidence, strong sources ## Artist identity - Birth date: 1920-09-28 - Death date: 2014-04-05 - Nationality: Scottish, British - Movements: Post-war abstraction - Common media: Oil painting, Printmaking (lithographs, etchings) ## About Alan Davie Alan Davie (1920–2014), born James Alan Davie in Grangemouth, Scotland, was a painter and musician who became one of the most distinctive British abstract artists of the post-war era. Active from the late 1940s onward, Davie developed a bold, improvisational painting style rooted in automatic drawing, mythological symbolism, and non-Western art traditions. His work drew the attention of major international institutions early in his career: the Museum of Modern Art in New York acquired paintings by Davie in the 1950s, and the Tate holds a significant collection of his work. Beyond painting, Davie was an accomplished jazz musician, and his dual practice in music and visual art informed the rhythmic, gestural quality of his canvases. He exhibited widely across Europe and North America and is recognized as a key figure in the broader story of post-war British abstraction. ## Common works and media Davie worked primarily in oil on canvas, producing large-scale abstract paintings characterized by vivid color, calligraphic line, and symbolic imagery. He also created works on paper including watercolors, gouaches, and drawings. His printmaking output includes lithographs and etchings, notably contributions to the landmark portfolio 1¢ Life (1963–64) published by E.W. Kornfeld and an etching for Homage to Picasso (1972–73). Later in his career he continued painting in a distinctive style incorporating totemic and mythological motifs. Collectors may encounter original paintings, works on paper, and editioned prints at auction. ## Market and appraisal context Alan Davie has a well-established and liquid secondary market spanning over 25 years of auction activity, with 459 recorded lots (333 with prices) from 1999 through early 2026. His work trades through top-tier international houses including Sotheby's, Christie's, and Bonhams, as well as a strong roster of UK regional firms such as Roseberys, Dreweatts 1759, Forum Auctions, Mallams, and John Nicholson's. The price distribution is wide: the median realised price is approximately £1,200, the 25th percentile sits around £300, and the 75th percentile near £7,995, with a recorded ceiling of £234,000. This dispersion reflects the material split between original oil paintings on canvas (which command the upper tier) and works on paper, prints, and editioned pieces (which cluster in the hundreds-of-pounds range). Liquidity has moderated recently — 23 priced lots in the most recent 12 months versus 35 in the prior 12 months — but the market remains active and broad, with multiple houses consistently offering material. The recent sample is dominated by gouaches, watercolours, ink drawings, lithographs, and screen prints, suggesting the accessible end of the market is well-supplied, while major paintings continue to appear at the flagship salerooms. ## Auction-house-backed market evidence Alan Davie has a well-established and liquid secondary market spanning over 25 years of auction activity, with 459 recorded lots (333 with prices) from 1999 through early 2026. His work trades through top-tier international houses including Sotheby's, Christie's, and Bonhams, as well as a strong roster of UK regional firms such as Roseberys, Dreweatts 1759, Forum Auctions, Mallams, and John Nicholson's. The price distribution is wide: the median realised price is approximately £1,200, the 25th percentile sits around £300, and the 75th percentile near £7,995, with a recorded ceiling of £234,000. This dispersion reflects the material split between original oil paintings on canvas (which command the upper tier) and works on paper, prints, and editioned pieces (which cluster in the hundreds-of-pounds range). Liquidity has moderated recently — 23 priced lots in the most recent 12 months versus 35 in the prior 12 months — but the market remains active and broad, with multiple houses consistently offering material. The recent sample is dominated by gouaches, watercolours, ink drawings, lithographs, and screen prints, suggesting the accessible end of the market is well-supplied, while major paintings continue to appear at the flagship salerooms. ### Appraisal notes When Appraisily appraises an Alan Davie work, the auction-record index of 459 lots provides a meaningful comparable-sale pool. An appraiser would filter comparables by medium (oil on canvas versus gouache on paper versus editioned print), date of execution, dimensions, signature presence, and condition. Provenance details — particularly gallery labels such as Gimpel Fils, exhibition history, or inclusion in a known series (e.g., Magic Picture series, Opus D works) — materially affect value. For prints, edition number, plate size, and whether the work is from a named portfolio (e.g., 1¢ Life, Homage to Picasso) are critical. The wide price range (£10 to £234,000) means that without accurate medium, size, and date information, a broad estimate bracket is unavoidable. Photographs of the recto, verso, signature, and any gallery labels are essential for narrowing the comparable set. ### Valuation factors - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] ### Collector notes ### Market caveats - Auction prices in the source pack are denominated in multiple currencies (GBP, USD, CAD, AUD); direct price comparisons require currency normalisation. GBP dominates the record set. - The 23 lots in the most recent 12-month period represent a decline from 35 in the prior period; this may reflect market cyclicality, supply constraints, or collection patterns rather than a change in artist demand. - The recent lot sample is weighted toward works on paper and prints; the upper end of the market (major canvases) is underrepresented in recent activity, which may skew recent-average impressions downward. - Some lots in the record lack category classification, and a small number lack images or source URLs, limiting verification. - Auction results include buyer's premiums where reported by the source house, but premium treatment may vary between houses and jurisdictions. - This addendum does not constitute a formal appraisal or valuation guarantee. Individual works must be assessed on their own merits with professional inspection. ### Market evidence sources - undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/alan-davie/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alan-davie-magic-picture-no-1-1977-139-c-ff44026884 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alan-davie-zurich-improvisation-ii-1965-6-c-24d4a6fb4d - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alan-davie-1920-2014-rune-reader-i-and-ii-two-prints-152-c-b3148bf6c7 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alan-davie-1920-2014-cueva-negra-sonik-sin-and-haveth-high-three-prints-151-c-6639f7c4bf - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alan-davie-1920-2014-free-wheeler-variations-i-ii-and-iv-three-prints-150-c-2731dd852d - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alan-davie-1920-2014-mid-century-scottish-original-lithograph-1965-283-c-32f59b6549 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alan-davie-untitled-286-c-1911751eba - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-alan-davie-scottish-1920-2014-fox-watch-iii-57-c-3148d75156 ## Appraisily data basis Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum records, library authority files, and biographical databases with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. Sources for this page include the Library of Congress Name Authority File, the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), MoMA, Tate, and Wikidata. ## Sources - Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50035675 - RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/20190 - The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/1401 - Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/alan-davie-979 - Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44033 - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Davie - VIAF / OCLC: https://viaf.org/viaf/95858518/ - Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500028636