William King (1923 - 2015) was known for sculptures that are long and lanky with a touch of understated humor. Whether towering public works or tabletop sculptures, there was no doubt cutting a swath of space above the crowd informed the figurative artworks created by King. Frequent speculation was that each sculpture was a self-portrait of the six-foot plus artist. In response, King would sometimes smile and would neither affirm or deny in the nicest possible way.
No matter where you stood on the issue, King's sculptures were distinctly his own. Evocative, playful and filled with personality that could be understated or bold, it is easy to spot a King sculpture.
William King's work is part of collections held by the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Los Angeles County Museum, the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is the recipient of four honorary doctorates and numerous fellowships as well as the International Sculpture Center Lifetime Achievement Award (2007) and the Academy of the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award (1997) at Guild Hall in East Hampton.
Click on our slideshow to see a selection of William King's sculptures that have appeared on the East End or Long Island in the past view years.
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"East Side/West Side" by William King, 1972. Aluminum, 124 x 164 x 24 inches. Photo by Hiroyuki Hamada at Duck Creek Farm. Courtesy Jess Frost.
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William King passed away on March 3, 2015. To read a tribute by Janet Goleas, click here.
To see images of sculpture by Bill King, view our slideshow:
View Slideshow.
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RELATED:
"William King Sculptures at East Hampton’s Historic Duck Creek Farm" Published July 11, 2014.
"William King Sculptures – Busy Being Themselves" by Pat Rogers. Published April 4, 2012.
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