Francis Davison

Born 1919 – Died 1984

Born in London, Davison spent his childhood in Southern France with his adoptive family. His father George and mother Joan were philanthropists and both interested in the arts. In the 1930s, he attended St George’s School, Harpenden, with Patrick Heron. After the end of World War II, Heron invited him to St Ives, where he met Adrian Stokes and Margaret Mellis, whom Davison married in 1948. After a period spent in France, in 1950 he returned to England, where his artistic career began. He and Margaret bought a cottage in Syleham, Suffolk. Following a spell working in painting, Davison then developed the collage style for which he is best known.