Ron King

Ron King has had an artistic life that spans a multi faceted and inspiring 60 years. His iconographic work is marked by a distinctive, fresh and often pioneering approach. As an artist his work can’t be pinned down to by genre but it does have an approach that is hallmarked by a distinctively curious, questioning and energetic approach.

Born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1932, Ron still has a strong attachment to the country and its culture. At the age of 12 he became fascinated with the macabre photograph that he saw in a book of his father’s of the decapitated heads of the infamous bandit leader Lampião and his notorious band. An image that he still can’t quite let go of today and one that has informed a long exploration which you can find expressed in much of his work to do with masks and character. Sent to England in 1945, Ron attended Ardingly College in West Sussex and in 1951 he went on to gain entrance to Chelsea School of Art.

Ron picked up a scholarship at Chelsea for his painting and then several art awards when he emigrated to Canada, with his wife and sculptor Willow Legge in 1956. Here he worked as an art director in McLean Hunter publishing house. In 1960 Ron returned to the UK with his family to paint for hi...

1932 Born in São Paulo, Brazil

1945 Attended Ardingly College, West Sussex

1951-56 Chelsea School of Art (Biddulph Scholarship for Painting (55 & 56))

1956 Emigrates to Canada with wife and sculptor, Willow Legge

1958 winner Monsanto Chemicals Award for Painting

1959 Works as Art Director for McLean Hunter publishing house

1959 winner Forrester Award for figure painting

1960 returns to England with family to prepare for 1962 one-man show in Toronto - stays in U.K.

1961-64 Lecturer at Farnham School of Art and takes up printmaking

1965 contracted to Editions Alecto, well know print publishers

1966 -67 produces first book 'The Prologue to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales’ which Alecto is unable to publish and and which
he takes on himself under the imprint of Circle Press

1967-87 establishes a workshop in Guildford with other artists and poets to produce artist edition books, posters and prints

1988 moves to London to work and live and continues publishing. See www.circlepress.com for full details.

1988 major exhibition at The Gutenberg Museum, Germany

1997 large exhibition at the South Bank Centre in the Lyttelton Theatre and the Poetry Library: 'The Looking Book'

2002 Yale Centre for Brit...