The Collection

The bulk of Peter King's work is held in the private collection of his widow and family. This comprises approximately 120 sculptures, 80 prints, and an experimental animated 16 mm film.

Peter sold many works during his brief career, and these are scattered in private collections. Tracing these works is a priority for the complete understanding of his oeuvre. If you know the location of any of his work we would be most grateful to hear from you (see contact details on Home Page ).

Works are known to be held by the Arts Council collection, and to have been purchased by the Contemporary Arts Society and passed on to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The painter Paul Millichip, who had his first exhibition at Gallery One just after Peter King, has a small bronze sculpture. Other artists and friends from that period have works in their collections.

Examples of Work

Bust, wood, 98 x 66 x 41 cm. This piece, like `Man with Cloak' is typical of King's middle period. These large wooden pieces were often painted, though the colours have since faded.

Standing figure, slate, 28 x 10 x 4 cm. King used a variety of stone in his work, though this is the only example of a slate piece.

Standing figure, bronze, 34 x 16 x 8 cm. King built his own bronze foundry in the grounds of the Abbey Art Centre, and later taught bronze casting at St. Martin's School of Art.

Group of three figures, aluminium on slate bases, 24 cm high. King produced many miniatures like this, using lost wax as the casting method. He also experimented with casting object trouves, such as bark and twigs, alongside the wax, to make bronze figures.

Group of figures, composite, 34 x 52 x 9. This was King's entry into the TUC competition held in the 1950's for a sculpture to commemorate the new headquarters.

Still from the experimental 16mm animated film `13 Cantos of Hell'. King received a British Film Institute award to complete the film, which was carried out in the studio of the shadow-puppet animator Lotte Reiniger.

Monotype, 26 x 63 cm. This is entitled `Sketch for a large wooden figure of Mother and Child', currently in the Arts Council collection. It may have been the sketch for sculpture PEK002W, on the Sculptures page.