Published in: Sculpture Journal, Vol. 18.1, 2009, pp. 100-111
Peter King was my father. Thanks go to the AHRC for funding research into his life and work, leading to the digitisation of his works for VADS. I also have my own site dedicated to life and work. Peter King site.
Abstract
This paper presents the life, work, and context of British sculptor Peter
King (1928-1957). His untimely death meant that he has been largely omitted
from the history of 1950s British art, but recent discoveries of missing
works, diaries, photographic plates, and other memorabilia indicate the
significance of his work for the period. He was undoubtedly a prolific
artist, whose exceptional talent was recognised by Henry Moore, who appointed
him as his assistant along with Anthony Caro. King was part of a group
of artists associated with Moore’s studio, with the teaching team
at St Martin’s School of Art, with artists living at the Abbey Art
Centre in London, and with Victor Musgrave’s Gallery One in Soho.
He received the Boise Travelling Scholarship and funding from the BFI
for an animated film, and exhibited the film and his work across Europe
before succumbing to a blood-poisoning at the age of twenty-nine.