Allyn Gallup Contemporary Art presents
“Friends and Family”
Paintings by Lynn Davison
February 3-28
This exhibit features more than 20 new works by Lynn Davison, one of the most highly regarded contemporary artists in the Southeast.
“Impish, a bit macabre and often inscrutable, Davison’s sensibility is perfectly expressed by the term ‘puzzling realism.’” —Naples Daily News
(Sarasota, FL) Allyn Gallup Contemporary Art gallery presents “Friends and Family,” an exhibition showcasing figurative paintings by Lynn Davison, February 3-28. The artist’s reception is Friday, February 6, 6-8 p.m. The gallery is at 1288 N. Palm Ave., in Sarasota. For more information about this exhibit, call 941-366-2454 or visit www.allyngallup.com.
Lynn Davison’s human dramas combine a sense of the absurd with an otherworldly magical realism. A graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design, this Naples-based painter has been creating haunting, figurative imagery for more than 30 years. “The human figure has always been the primary focus,” says Davison. “I want my figures to provoke introspection. While they’re essentially revelations of self, I hope they also portray universal truths about what it means to be exposed, disconnected, and vulnerable and human.”
The 20 new figurative paintings in this exhibition reveal Davison’s latest bold experiments. These include a new approach to the medium. “I’ve been working with a new range and palette of colors,” she says. “Each hue presents its own subtle challenges. I feel like I’m just beginning to learn to paint.”
Davison’s new approach to the medium comes with a new message—an unabashedly erotic sensibility. Davison’s paintings have always had an erotic subtext. Now, it’s become the main story. The inspiration?
Davison shares that Allyn Gallup, the gallery’s founder who passed away in November 2014, suggested this new approach. “Allyn’s been after me for years to explore the sensual side of my work,” she says. “I resisted. But, by golly, a great couple finally showed up at the perfect time. I’ve only just begun to explore the possibilities.” According to the artist, most of the models are, “very accommodating friends and family members.” Davison adds that the back of a head glimpsed in several paintings belongs to, “a friend with whom I studied at Ringling College. Along with his wife, we’ve been friends forever.” But not all of the acquaintances depicted are long-standing.
“Some of the figures are my newest friends,” she says. “If anyone is around me, they’ll get ‘used.’ If you make friends with an artist, that’s what happens.”
Davison’s work has been featured in many public venues, including the Butler Institute of American Art, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Patty & Jay Baker Naples Museum of Art, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and the John and Mable Ringling Museum. Public collections that include Davison’s paintings include Ohio University, University of Tampa, University of South Florida, Miami-Dade Community College, Edison Community College, and the Polk and Ringling Museums.
About Allyn Gallup Contemporary Art
Allyn Gallup Contemporary Art was established in 1991. Since the beginning, its founder, Allyn Gallup, has been committed to providing serious art to the community. Through this commitment, the gallery has earned the reputation as the leading place in southwest Florida to view contemporary art. The gallery’s collection includes paintings, sculptures, mixed-media assemblages, works on paper and prints by mid-career artists with well-established exhibition records. The gallery also occasionally showcases works by promising emerging artists. Visit www.allyngallup.com.
