Inge King
Encyclopedia
Inge Studied sculpture with Hermann Nonnenmacher(1892–1988) during 1936-37, and in October 1937 she was admitted to the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts. She was forced to leave the academy a year later, shortly before Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
. In 1939 Inge travelled to England, and spent two terms at the Royal Academy London until it was closed due to war-time bombing. Inge joined that sculpture classes of Benno Schotz
Benno Schotz
Benno Schotz was a Scottish artist.-Early life:Schotz was the youngest of six children of Jewish parents, Jacob Schotz, a watchmaker, and Cherna Tischa Abramovitch...
at the Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
in 1941 and stayed until 1943. Inge met her husband, the Australian artist Grahame King
Grahame King
Grahame King was a prominent Australian printmaker. In the 1930s he helped pioneer the new art of chromo-photo-lithography and transformed developments in the colour advertising in the print industry. Grahame Lectured in Printmaking at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology from 1966-88...
, at The Abbey Arts Centre in Hertfordshire
The Abbey Arts Centre
The Abbey Arts Centre is located at 89 Park Road, New Barnet, Hertfordshire EN4 9QX, England.It was originally owned by William Ohly, an art dealer who ran the Berkeley Galleries in Davies Street, London....
, England and they were married in 1950. Grahame and Inge returned to Australia and the settled in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1951.
Mrs King has been at the forefront of developing non-figurative sculpture in Australia. She was a member of The Centre 5 group of sculptors grew from a 1961 meeting convened by Julius Kane in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
to, 'help foster greater public awareness in contemporary sculpture in Australia'. Members of the Centre 5 group are included Lenton Parr
Lenton Parr
Lenton Parr was an Australian sculptor and teacher born in East Coburg, Victoria.He spent eight years in the Royal Australian Air Force before enrolling to study sculpture at the Royal Melbourne Technical College , then worked in England 1955–57 as an assistant to Henry Moore...
, Inge King, Norma Redpath, Julius Kane, Vincas Jomantas, Clifford Last
Clifford Last
Clifford Frank Last was an English sculptor born in England, the son of Nella Last, British author of the war diary Housewife, 49.- Early life :...
and Teisutis Zikaras.
Many of her large scale works are found in public plazas, including Forward Surge, 1974 at the Victorian Arts Centre and on numerous university campuses. Inge has held over 26 solo exhibitions including a retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria in 1992, and has participated in over 60 group shows in London, New York, Australia and New Zealand.
In 2009 she was awarded by the Australian Arts Council ‘The Visual Arts Emeritus Award which recognises Inge’s pivotal role in raising the profile of modern sculpture in this country,’
In July 2009, her solo show "Sculpture: Maquettes and Recent Work" opened at Australian Galleries and a book "Inge King: Small Sculptures and Macquettes" by Judith Trimble and Ken McGregor was published by Palgrave Macmillan (ISBN 978-1-921394-26-3).
Forward Surge
Inge's most prominent sculpture is the monumental Forward Surge at the Melbourne Art CentreThe Arts Centre (Melbourne)
The Victorian Arts Centre is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Southbank in Victoria, Australia....
. It is made from 50mm mild steel and stands 5.2m high, 15.1m wide and 13.7m deep. The sculpture was commissioned by the Victorian Arts Centre in 1974; construction was completed in 1976 and the work was installed in its present position in 1981. more images
Forward Surge is the major sculptural drawcard for the Arts Centre precinct and one of our most prominent and valued works of art. It has been listed on the National Trust Register since 1992, and is noted by the National Trust as King's "most monumental work of art, and probably most significant"
Royal Australian Air Force Memorial
The Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
Memorial, situated on Anzac Parade, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, was designed by Inge King and unveiled in 1973. It is a free-standing abstract steel sculpture on a stone base. Three large stainless steel panels reminiscent of aircraft wings, rise vertically from the base to a height of almost eight meters. They represent the endurance, strength and courage of RAAF personnel. The panels enclose a polished basalt base on which rests a bronze plate representing man's struggle to conquer the elements. The inscription per ardua ad astra is the RAAF motto meaning "through adversity to the stars". http://www.skp.com.au/memorials2/pages/00009.htm
Sun Ribbon
Inge King's Sun Ribbon provides the students of University of Melbourne with a unique resting place among its massive unfurling bands, and is the focal point of one of the University's busiest thoroughfares, the Union Lawn.The sculpture is formed in 19mm-thick steel, by two upright flat, circular bands, each 360 cm, in diameter, and three folder 'rectangular' planes comprising a total ensemble length of 600 cm. more images
Shearwater
The Shearwater sculpture is placed in front of the Esso building along the Southbank Promenade, Melbourne. It was commissioned by Esso Australia. Built in polychrome steel 780 x 670 x 350 cm. more imagesRings of Saturn
Rings of Saturn is located in the Sir Rupert Hamer Garden, in the grounds of the Heide Museum of Modern Art http://www.heide.com.au/sir_rupert_hamer_garden in Bulleen, a suburb of Melbourne Australia. Shortly after the dedication of this work, in August 2006, King said:Working with Heide Museum for Rings of Saturn, firstly we agreed on a maquette. Then when I saw the site I knew I had to enlarge the work to do what I call 'conquer the landscape'. The Australian landscape is an enormously powerful landscape; vast and with clarity of atmosphere, and you never know in advance how work will look in it. The landscape grips my imagination – I try to measure my work against the vast spaces of this country. Conquering the landscape does not rely on scale but simplicity and clarity of form expressing inner strength and tension. If my sculpture is outdoors or in the public domain I like it to arouse people's curiosity to explore the work. Multidimensional objects look different from every angle. The exciting thing about outdoor sculpture is the change with the light, the weather... everything is in constant flux. It becomes almost a living entity.
Other Works
- Flower Dancer (1948), National Gallery of VictoriaNational Gallery of VictoriaThe National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
, Melbourne - Oracle (1966)
- Encounter (1968), La Trobe University, Melbourne-Bundura
- Fred Schonell Memorial Fountain (1971), University of QueenslandUniversity of QueenslandThe University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
, Brisbane - Black Sun (1975), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
- Dialogue of Circles (1976), La Trobe University Sculpture Park, Melbourne-Bundura
- Temple Gate (1976/1977),Sculpture park in the National Gallery of Art, Canberra
- Lunar Image (1980), Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern TerritoryMuseum and Art Gallery of the Northern TerritoryThe Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory is the main museum in the Northern Territory. The museum is located in the inner Darwin suburb of Fannie Bay...
(MAGNT), Darwin, Northern Territory - Jabaroo (1984/1985), McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park, Langwarrin, Victoria
- Silent Gong (1989)
- Island Sculpture (1991), McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park, Langwarrin, Victoria
- Guardian Angel (1995), Deakin Museum of Art, Deakin UniversityDeakin UniversityDeakin University is an Australian public university with nearly 40,000 higher education students in 2010. It receives more than A$600 million in operating revenue annually, and controls more than A$1.3 billion in assets. It received more than A$35 million in research income in 2009 and had 835...
, Melbourne - Moonbird (1999 commissioned by the Australia Fund), Residence of the Prime-minister, The LodgeThe LodgeThe Lodge is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia in the national capital, Canberra. It is located on Adelaide Avenue, Deakin. It is one of two official Prime Ministerial residences, the other being Kirribilli House, in Sydney.-History:...
, Canberra - The Sentinel (2000), Eastern Freeway in Melbourne
- Wandering Angel (2000), The National Gallery of Art, Canberra
- Rings of Jupiter (3) (2006), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
- Red Rings (2008), Eastlink Motorway in Melbourne
External links
- Inge King at the Women's Art Register
- Article in Art Forum
- Capturing the spirit of the times
- Article in The Age
- Exhibition, Commissions and Awards list at Australia Galleries
- The sculpture of Inge King, including her 2009 exhibition "Sculpture: Maquettes and Recent Work"
- Sculpture: 'MoonBird' at the Lodge, Canberra