Lot 74

One side of the base of the sculpture is turned up instead of sitting flat at the base, thus slightly lessening the stability of the work when standing upright.
Apart from this, the bronze in very good condition, with no areas of corrosion, imperfections or scratches seen to the surface.


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Leonard Joel makes no guarantee of the originality of mechanical or applied components. Absence of reference to such modifications does not imply that a lot is free from modifications.

Gifted to the vendor by Mark Strizic, 2010
Private collection, Melbourne

Grishin, S., The Art of Inge King: Sculptor, Macmillan Art Publishing, Melbourne, 2014, p.374.

During the 20th century, Inge King became one of the most prominent Modern sculptors in Australia. With a career spanning across eight decades, her remarkable story of becoming a sculptor began after fleeing Germany during the Second World War.

Settling for a short time in England, King was accepted into the Glasgow School of Art where she honed her skills in sculpture and focused her practice on carving. Eventually fleeing Europe all together, King travelled to America where she met artists Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock who had a profound impact on her work. Influenced by her engagement with Abstract Expressionism in New York, she began creating non-representational sculpture inspired by the Australian landscape. It was at this point that she became a founding member of the noteworthy Centre 5 Group of sculptors in Melbourne, where she eventually settled with husband and fellow artist, Graham King.

In the late 1950's King made the transition to bronze as her primary medium. A common career move for many sculptors in their careers, as this allowed them to produce large scale public commissions while also creating revenue by casting smaller editioned works for exhibitions and collectors. King somewhat personalised her method of production by working with flat shapes as her foundation. By cutting shapes out of paper, she was able to incorporate collage and assemblage into her practice while working towards her final product in metal.

Angel (maquette) 1996, is characterised by the placement of two-dimensional sheets connected to create a concept of movement. Angel reflects a body of works King produced late in her career, at a time where she had long been considered a veteran in the arts. The use of flat sheets of metal were also a response to King's fascination with light and the reflective qualities of her works, particularly when placed outdoors.

King won significant public commissions including 'Forward Surge' situated at the National Gallery of Victoria, Sun Ribbon at Anzac Parade in Canberra with many large-scale works found in public spaces and in institutions. Inge King was honoured with a Member of The Order Australia in 1984, for her contribution to the arts and her role in the development of modern sculpture in Australia.


©Inge King/ Copyright Agency, 2020
Related Work:
Singing Child 1993, Trimble, J., Inge King Sculpture, Art and Australia and Craftsman House, Sydney, 1996, p.164 (illus)