Biography

Peter King was born in 1928. His mother was a schoolteacher and his father employed in a variety of trades such as window-dressing, involving both manual and artistic skills. Peter inherited this interest in making things, experimenting at an early age with plaster, and taking an interest in literature and philosophy. His artistic potential was soon acknowledged, and he was sent to Wimbledon School of Art. After leaving he signed up with Guidici, the monumental stonemasons, and worked on a restoration project for the Houses of Parliament. He also worked for Sir Charles Wheeler, after which he moved to the Abbey Art Centre in North London, which had been founded by collector William Ohly as an artists' commune. Ohly also set up the Berkeley Galleries which became an outlet for the talent at the Abbey Art Centre and also for Ohly's main interest: primitive art.

The two pieces above are very early work by King, shown in an exhibition catalogue from the Berkely Galleries in 1953. The Berkely galleries showed work by other artists connected with the Abbey Art Centre, including Alan Davie, and Hans Coper and Lucie Rie.

The porch and bell-tower are from the Abbey Art Centre and lead, to the right, into Ohly's museum of primitive art, and, to the left, to a small studio used by Peter King during some of his most prolific periods.

While at the Abbey Art Centre King became employed on a part-time basis by Henry Moore. King's first commission was a large stone piece that was to be the fourth component of the Time Life frieze in Bond Street. The huge block of stone was delivered to the Abbey Art Centre where King executed the piece according to drawings by Moore, entirely with hand tools, as he could not afford anything else. Moore is reputed to have said that he only had to think of a piece and King could make it. The success of this first commission led to regular work for Moore.

King at work on one of Henry Moore's sculptures.

The Time Life frieze by Henry Moore. King was commissioned to make the piece on the far right.

In July 1953 King was appointed by Frank Martin as a part-time lecturer to join the sculpture team at St. Martin's School of Art. This had been on the recommendation of Sir Anthony Caro, who he had met at Henry Moore's. As well as Caro, King became part of a group that included Liz Frink, Eduardo Paolozzi, and Phillip King. In December 1954 King was given his first one-man show at Victor Musgrave's Gallery One. Musgrave had discovered and promoted much of the young talent of the day, including Liz Frink, Bridget Riley, and F.N.Souza. In one of his bulletins Musgrave described King's work as `Action Sculpture', akin to the action-painting popularised in the USA by Pollock and others.

A photograph of King taken at St. Martin's School of Art by one of the students.

King at work in the Abbey Art Centre.

King sold well at Gallery One, and attracted attention across the art scene in 50's Britain. He was awarded the Boyse travelling scholarship, and a grant from the British Film Institute to make an animated film. Difficulties in his personal life led to a period of experimentation in his work, some of which reflected his more disturbed frame of mind. A suicide attempt led to a period in hospital, shortly after which he had the motorcycle accident that resulted in his death in 1957.