John Davis, A Life's Work John Davis was a lifelong Who devotee and a very talented artist. In 1973 his fascination with Pete Townsend's work led him to create his own visual interpretations of Townsend's Rock Opera 'Tommy' . Unbeknown to him, Roger Daltrey would come along to the small exhibition in the tiny disused garage, doubling as his studio in Southampton and declare the images as 'Fantastic!!. This led to both Townsend and Daltrey commissioning Davis to create illustrations for a book to celebrate the first ten years of The WHO. Simply entitled 'A Decade of The Who'. Davis ended up creating around 50 images. Some were sold to band members and associates; other lost and one or two stolen but what remains are 45 completed images with all the associated paperwork for the commission for the book. The images are bursting with symbolism and fantastic detail. Davis found himself following Meher Baba, as Townsend himself had and filled the work with Sanskrit, Numerology Egyptian and mystic designs. He explained that the white horses that appear in many of the works represent Baba himself and the railways lines that are also prominent are there to express the spiritual pathway. Stunning both individually and in its entirety, the project extended beyond the period of Tommy through Quadraphenia and beyond, only then did Davis explain that Townsend's tales become less stories and more situations, which he felt were more difficult to express visually. Nonetheless many of the Who's iconic numbers are here 'Substitute' 'Pinball Wizard' 'I'm free' . All paintings are professionally Framed and Glazed and represent a unique time-capsule of art through the eyes of a fan who became a collaborator and ultimately a friend of the band. The collection includes all paperwork and legalities between the commissioning agents, signed letters from Pete Townsend, drafts of ideas and letterheads for Pete Townsend's Eel Pie Studio, Davis' extensive collection of Who books and posters, personal, candid photographs, lists of paintings and details of their state and whereabouts, WHO convention artwork, proofs and finished programmes and posters. Important Note: The collection is offered in its entirety. If the collection fails to reach reserve, the individual lots will be sold off directly after this lot. As such, if this Lot does achieve it's reserve price, all following lots relating to this collection will immediately be withdrawn from this auction.