Encountering the work of Alan Davie (1920-2014) at Wakefield Art Gallery in 1958, a young David Hockney (b.1937) was struck by Davie's landmark Abstract Expressionist paintings, which mirrored and stimulated his own fledgling experimentation with colourful abstraction. Juxtaposing the remarkable early work of two greats of post-war painting, this book provides an original perspective on an important aspect of two significant artistic careers.

A richly illustrated text demonstrates points of convergence — such as the painterly surface, passion and poetry, and an exploration of text within the pictorial frame — while also presenting divergence, moving the discussion beyond comparison to reveal a moment when each artist  expanded the expressive potential of the painted canvas.

Seeking to suggest new relationships and continuities between two generations previously segregated, this beautifully produced publication is ambitious in its intention, pushing the boundaries of traditional interpretations of British art history. 

'The two artists are rightly given equal billing here, with Davie’s vibrant, intuitive, improvisational and painterly pictures in dialogue with the touchingly personal, autobiographical and sexually charged works of the early 1960s through which Hockney first found his voice as a modern artist.’

-- Marco Livingstone

Eleanor Clayton is a Curator at The Hepworth Wakefield, was previously Assistant Curator at Tate Liverpool, and has published widely on British modern and contemporary art.

Helen Little is an independent curator and researcher with a special interest in 20th-century and contemporary British art. As an assistant Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art at Tate Britain, London, she organised numerous exhibitions and displays including David Hockney (2017), Frank Auerbach (2015) and Alan Davie (2014). As well as conducting doctoral research on the art of Alan Davie, she is currently organising an international touring exhibition of Tate's David Hockney collection.