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1920
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Born in Washington, D.C.
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1939
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Studied the liberal arts at the Maryland University, Baltimore through 1942.
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Became a sports reporter for the Washington Daily News.
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1943
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Attended Wilson Teachers College, Washington, D.C.
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1945
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At age 25, became a White House correspondent for Transradio Press.
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1949
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Created his first painting, Composition I, while still working as a journalist. Initially, Davis was influenced by Paul Klee and Jean Dubuffet, as well as the Abstract Expressionist artists, especially Gorky, Pollock, and de Kooning.
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1950
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Visited the Washington Workshop Center of the Arts, where Washington artist, Jacob Kainen, taught.
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1952
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First solo exhibition held at Dupont Theater Gallery, Washington, D.C.
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1958
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Began to work on stripe paintings, and after 1960 worked exclusively with uniform hard-edged all over stripe compositions.
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1963
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First solo show in New York at the Poindexter Gallery.
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1965
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Awarded a Bronze Medal for Painting, Biennial Exhibition of American Painting, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
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1967
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Received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Began teaching at the Corcoran Gallery Art School.
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1969
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Received a commission for a 60-foot mural for South Mall Project, New York State Capitol Building, Albany, New York.
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1972
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Received a commission for a 414-foot painting, Franklin's Footpath, in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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1974
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Awarded the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship.
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1980
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Received a commission for a street painting, Niagara, at ARTPARK, Lewiston, New York.
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1984
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Appointed as commissioner of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
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1985
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Died on April 6 at age 64 in Washington, D.C.
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