Geoffrey Davidson

Humanist, artist and ballet teacher Geoffrey Davidson was born in England in 1921. He spent his youth in Kenya until the Second World War. With the start of the war, he returned to England and completed his military service by working in the mines. After the end of the war, he became a student of Madam Rambert to study ballet. After completing her education, he danced in various ballet companies, especially with the London Festival Ballet, of which he was a member between 1950-1960. The dancer, who later worked as a ballet teacher in London and Portugal, came to Ankara with a call from Dame Ninette de Valois in 1972 and taught at the Ankara State Ballet in the 1972-1973 season. Joining the teaching staff of the Istanbul State Conservatory in 1973, Geoffrey took part in the establishment of the Ballet Department at the conservatory together with Şebnem Aksan, and spent the next 10 years in training a large number of young dancers. After Geoffrey retired in 1983, he settled in Fethiye Ölüdeniz and continued his life by commuting between Sussex (England) and Ölüdeniz.

Geoffrey, who learned to knit in his early youth, made ballet costumes, but after seeing the works of designer Kaffe Fasset in 1991, he started knitting his own designs with a new understanding and with madder bought from Kenya within a year. Geoffrey, who previously worked on garments such as vests and jackets, started knitting murals after 1995 with the support and suggestion of his artist friend Ronald Wilson. From now on, his next works are mainly in the form of "Knitted Paintings".

Geoffrey especially preferred the root dyes of Nairobi and the rug yarns and pure wools of Anatolia in his works. It is observed that he was influenced by Ölüdeniz, Anatolia and Kenya in his works. Its weaves are reminiscent of miniatures with their compositional order, as well as their fine craftsmanship and sense of colour.

Geoffrey Davidson Exhibitions:

 

1)1- Group exhibition with artist friend Necati Binici at the Directorate of Culture - Fethiye

2- Solo exhibition at Ercüment Kalmuk Art Gallery - Istanbul

3- Solo exhibition at Cemal Reşit Rey - Istanbul

4- Solo exhibition at British Cultural Association - Ankara

5- Solo exhibition in Cork Street - London

Other hobbies of the artist are gardening, cooking, reading and tennis, and he continued to play tennis regularly until two years before his death. Geoffrey Davidson died on January 5, 2009 at his brother's home in Howe, England.