1. INSTUDIO31GALLERYMAGAZINE30
AgiantofAustraliansculpturewhowelded
untilshewasninety,IngeKinghaslostnoneofher
sparkandwit.JoRobertsspeakstothedefiantly
no-nonsenseKingaboutart,loveandlifeaheadof
amajorretrospectiveofherworkattheNGV.
In
StudioIngeKing

2. GALLERYMAGAZINE3233
IfyouknowwhichWarrandyteroadtogo
down,youcannotmissthehomeof
sculptorIngeKing.Initsfrontgarden,
amongthetoweringeucalypts,liveseveral
ofKing’screativeoffspring–hugecurves
andringsofpolishedstainlesssteel,
gleamingdefiantlyamidthemutedtonesof
nativevegetation.Therearealsobeaky
shardsofweatheredbrown-greenbronze
which,thoughnotasdazzlingastherings,
arehardlyshrinkingviolets.Therearetwo
birdsjoinedinflight,whileanangelsurveys
allfromitshighvantagepoint,leaningout
fromafrontcornerofthehouselikea
ship’sbow.
Luckily,youdon’thavetoscourthe
wildsofWarrandytetoseetheworkof
IngeKing.AlloverAustralia,thousandsof
peoplewalkpasthersculptureseveryday.
InMelbournealone,onthelawnbetween
HamerHallandtheArtsCentre,thereis
Forwardsurge,1974–76–fourhugeblack
wavesofsteelmorethanfivemetreshigh,
suspendedforeverattheircrest,poisedfor
acrashthatnevercomes.Thereisthe
seven-metretallbirdinflight,Shearwater,
1994–95,atSouthbank,the3.4-metre
diameterblackringsofSunRibbon,
1980–82,atMelbourneUniversity,the
shimmering4.5-metrediameterRingsof
Saturn,2006,atHeide,andsomuchmore.
Atoddswiththesehugecreations
isthediminutivewomanwhocreatedthem.
Nowninety-eightyearsold,theBerlin-born
IngeKing(pronounced‘ing-ger’)isnotonly
justagiantofAustralianabstractsculpture,
butalsoapioneerofit.From1May,theNGV
willstageConstellation,thebiggestsurvey
todateofKing’swork,acrossallthreefloors
ofTheIanPotterCentre:NGVAustraliaat
FederationSquare.ItwillbetheNGV’sfirst
majorshowingofKing’sworksince1992.
Constellationwillincludearound100
works,andnotonlyjustthemonumental
sculpturesKingisrenownedfor–whichin
2009earnedheranAM(Memberofthe
OrderofAustralia)forhercrucialrolein
raisingtheprofileofmodernsculpturein
Australia–butalsosmallercarvings,many
madepriortoherarrivalinAustraliain1951
withherhusband,thelateAustralianpainter
andprintmakerGrahameKing.Grahame’s
roleinhiswife’ssuccessfulcareerwas
pivotal.Somuchsothatattherequestof
Inge,hisworkswillalsobeshownaspart
ofConstellation.
AvisittothehometheKingssharedfor
almostsixtyyearsisaprivilegedglimpseinto
auniquerelationshipboundbyloveandart,
sustainedfromthetimetheymetatan
artists’colonyinLondonin1947until
Grahame’sdeathin2008.‘Hewasalways
verysupportive,’saysKing.‘Hewasnota
husbandwhosaid,“Youlookafterthe
childrenandI’mtheartist”,hereally
supportedme.Icouldn’thavehadabetter
companion.That’stheonlywayIcouldhave
donetheworkthatIdid.’
AsaformerstudentofGrahameKingin
the1970s,thecuratorofConstellation,David
Hurlston,canattesttothis.‘Grahamewas
anamazingman,hewasincrediblygener-
ous,’Hurlstonsays.‘That’ssomethingI’m
tryingtobringoutintheexhibition,and
Ingemaintainsitwastohisloss,because
hesupportedherpracticesocommittedly.’
TheKingsmarriedin1950andmoved
toAustraliathefollowingyear.In1952they
movedintotheirWarrandytehome,de-
signedbyarchitectRobinBoyd.TheKings
askedBoydtodesignthehouse–setona
slopingacreandnowclassifiedbythe
NationalTrust–aftermeetinghimwhenhe
gaveatalkattheCommercialArtistsand
DesignersSociety.‘Weaskedhimifhe’dbe
interestedindesigningaone-roomhouse
forus,becausewehadalwayslivedinone
room.Wehadnochildrenthen,’Kingsays.
‘Itwasveryprimitiveatfirst.Wemoved
beforethechildrenwerebornintoan
unfinishedhouse,andmyhusbanddidall
thecarpentryandfinishings.Wehad
buildersputituptoalock-upstageand
Grahamedidvirtuallyeverythingelse
himself.Wehadnomoneywhenwecame
backfromEuropeandwedidn’twantto
havetoomanydebts.’
Roomshavebeenaddedovertheyears
toaccommodatethearrivalofdaughters
JoannaandAngelain1953and1955,butthe
jewelremainstheoriginalBoydroom.Itis
dominatedbya12-inchthickstonewall,one
sidefacingouttothestreet,theotherinside
formingthebackwallofthekitchen.
‘Itwasbuiltbyalocalstonemason,’King
says.‘Beautifullybuilt.Itkeepstheheatout
insummerandthecoldinwinteraswell.We
didn’thaveairconditioningorcoolingin
hereuntilabouttenorfifteenyearsago.It
wasn’tnecessary.Becausewealsohadmy
studiounderneath–wedugthatalloutwith
pickandshovel–wehadventilationflaps
thereundertheseatsthatweusedtoopen
uptogetextradraughtin.’
Theentry,sittingroomandkitchen
givewaytoamezzanine,onwhichasteel
maquettesitsonarug,surroundedbypot
plantsandmoreartwork.Apartition,rather
thanafullwall,blocksoffabedroom,itstop
edgelowenoughtoholdevenmoreworks
ofart.
Theelevatedfloorlookslikeastage.
‘Well,RobinhadjustbeentoJapanandI
thinkhegotveryintriguedwiththatwhole
thing,andhecouldexperimentwithus,’King
says.‘Wesleptinhere,’shesays,gesturing
overthepartition.‘Robinlikeditopen,but
weputupthatpartitionbecausewedidn’t
liketobeseeninourbed.’
Sixtyyearsofbeingwelllived-inhas
giventhehouseawarmbutnotoverwhelm-
ingclutter.Shelvesarepackedwithartist
books;Picasso,Matisse,Munch,Rouault,
Baudelaire,Bonnard,Giacometti,Miro,Rodin,
HenryMoore,AlexanderCalder,Islamicart,
Africansculpture,Botero,RobertMotherwell,
FrancisBacon,Soulages,SoniaDelunay.
‘Well,whenyouliveinAustraliayou
needbooks,youknow,’Kingsays,evokinga
2003quotetoTheAgenewspaperregarding
‘Childrenarenotaninspiration,Icantellyouthat…
TheyarefullydemandingandIalwaysfeltIwasrather
hardonmychildren.Idemandedquitealotfrom
themtofitinandtheydid,theywereverygood.
Andwestillspeaktoeachother.’
INSTUDIO
Thispageandopposite:
IngeKing’sWarrandyte
homeandstudio.

3. GALLERYMAGAZINE34INSTUDIO35
firstimpressionsoftheculturallynascent
Australia:‘likeacanofflatbeer’.
Thewallsareadornedwiththeworks
ofotherartistsfromAustralia,Japanand
elsewhere,manyofthemgifts,orbarters
theKingsreceivedinexchangefortheirown
work.Thereistribalartwork,masksand
rugs.Familyphotos–ofKing’sdaughtersas
younggirls,ofGrahame,ofherself–are
stucktothebackofadesk.Grahameoften
caredforthechildrenwhilehiswifeworked.
‘Childrenarenotaninspiration,Ican
tellyouthat,’saystheno-nonsenseKing.
‘TheyarefullydemandingandIalwaysfeltI
wasratherhardonmychildren.Idemanded
quitealotfromthemtofitinandtheydid,
theywereverygood.Andwestillspeakto
eachother,’shesayswithagentlechuckle.
WhiletheKingssupportedeachotherin
theirwork,theyalsochallengedeachother,
suggestingchangesorimprovements.‘He’d
say,“Youcan’tshowitlikethat,youdoitthis
wayandthatway”.Wedidthattoeach
other,’Kingsays.Andwhatdidshesayin
responsetohiscomments?
‘Idon’tsayanything.Ithinkaboutit.’
Overthepastyear,Kinghassloweddown.
Shehasbegunusingawalkingstick,and
hereyesightandhearingaren’twhatthey
usedtobe.Yetshestillworksmostdays
andcontinuedtomakesculptureuntil
mid-2013when,afteraboutofillness,she
decidedtostop(Kingweldeduntilshe
wasninety).
‘Youcan’tworkforeveryouknow,’she
says.‘Butmyhusbandalwayssaid,“Artists
areluckypeople,theyworkuntiltheydrop”.
That’squitetrue.’Sheisunfussedabout
leavingsculpture.‘Ifyoucanrealiseyour
ideasinadifferentway,thenthat’sfine,’
shesays.
King’snewmediumiscollage.‘Itsuits
mewell,becauseIlikeworkingwithoffcuts,’
shesays,asshesiftsthroughapileof
collagesshehasjusthadmounted;beautiful
monochromeabstractionsandfiguratives.
Theworksfeaturethecurvesandangles
thatinhabitsomuchofKing’ssculptural
work.‘Well,it’sthesamehandwritingyou
see,’shesays.
KingtrainedinBerlinintraditional
sculpture,makingfigurativesculptures,then
carvinginwoodandstone.Shewasstrongly
influencedbyHenryMoore.‘ThenIhadtoget
awayfromthatbecauseIfoundIcouldn’t
expressmyideas,’shesays.‘Thisiswhen
DavidSmithinAmericainspiredmetowork
withsteel.ButI’veneverworkedlikeDavid
Smith,I’mnotaman.It’sadifferentapproach.
Womenthinkdifferently,workdifferently.I’ve
neverpushedanywomen’smovementorany-
thinglikethat.I’mawareit’sdifferentbutthat
doesn’tmeanthequalityisnotthere.’
Kingdidnotbeginweldinguntil1960,
whenherhusbandexchangedapaintingfor
awelder,withaneighbourwhomadearc
welders.Theneighbourthentaughtbothof
themtoweld.
Upuntilthen,Ingemadejewelleryas
awayofearningmoney.Itisalesser-known
areaofherpractice,saysDavidHurlston,
whoplanstoshowsomeofherjewellery
inConstellation.
‘I’mhopingthat’sabitofaneye-opener
forpeople,’Hurlstonsays.‘Herjewelleryis
interesting,therearesomepiecesthatare
clearlydifferenttothewaysheworked
sculpturally,butthereareothersthatare
verymuchassemblageaswell,whereyou
gettheselayeredsortsofpieces.
‘Shetoldmeatonestagethatshehad
tostopmakingjewellerybecauseshewas
gettingordersforweddingsandallsortsof
stuff,andshejustdidn’twanttoworklike
that.Shesaidpeoplewouldbebuying
earringsoffherears.She’dgosomewhere
andpeoplewouldsay,“Wow,Ilovethose
earrings”,andshe’dsellthem.’
King’sfirstbigsculpturecommission
wasin1972,amemorialfortheRoyal
AustralianAirForceinCanberra;three
verticalstainlesssteelpanelsalmosteight
metrestall,representingaircraftwingsanda
horizontalsectioninbronze.‘ThenIstarted
workingwithfabricators,’Kingsays.‘The
peopleIemployareallfirst-classandit
costsmealotofmoney.SounlessIhave
acommissionIcan’taffordit.ButIdo
makemaquettes.’
Thoughstatic,King’sworksevoke
motion,likehugefrozenmoments.Andina
curiousparadox,thesubjectsofthese
Left:IngeKing’sSummer
Solstice(2011),inher
gardenathomein
Warrandyte.The
sculpturewillbeshownin
theupcomingsurveyInge
King:Constellation,atthe
NGVAustralia.

4. 37GALLERYMAGAZINE36INSTUDIO

5. 39INSTUDIOGALLERYMAGAZINE38
earthboundcreationsareofteninhabit-
antsoftheskies,suchascelestialrings,
birdsandangels.Inthecaseofthose
ever-crestingwaves,theyareatthevery
leastdefyinggravity.
‘Withtheringsculpture,theywerereally
inspiredbytelevision,bythespaceresearch,
becauseIlikethingsflying,’shesays.‘With
weldingyoucandothat,youcanattach
spherestootherspheres.’
King’sprimaryinspirationfromdayone,
however,wastheAustralianlandscape.‘Isee
mysculpturesinthelandscape,inthewide
landscape,’shesays.‘TheAustralianland-
scapeisadifficultlandscape.It’sverystrong,
veryoverpowering,becauseit’salsountidy.
Youhavetocontradictit,withmechanical
shapesifyoulike…it’sagreatcontrasttothe
landscape.It’snotjustamatterofsize,it’sa
matterofthepoweroftheworkitself.’
Doessheeverwonderwhatherwork
mighthavebeenlikeifshedidnotlivein
Australia?King’sresponseisswiftand
characteristicallymatter-of-fact.:‘No,well
whatwouldbethepointofdwellingonthat?
I’vegototherthingstothinkabout.’(Well,
fairenough.)
Herfrontgardenalone,withitsrings,
birdsandangelsamidtheAustralianbush,
epitomisesKing’sinspirations.Italso
providesthevistafromthestudiowhere
someofAustralia’smostimportantabstract
sculptureshavebeenrealised.
Likethehouse,King’sstudiobrimswith
lifeandactivity.Dazzlingsteelmaquettessit
alongsideglossyblackones,anarrayof
files,hammersandclampshangfromthe
ceiling,therearejarsofpencilsandpens,
picturesstucktowalls,grindingmachinery,
welders,weldingmasksandwelding
benchesbothinsideandoutsidethestudio
–decadesofcreativityjammedintoafew
squaremetres.
Maquettesofbalsawood,ringswithin
rings,sitonaworkbench.Attheendofthe
bench,whichlooksouttothefrontyard,isa
lumpygreymoundofmetalabout10cm
high;thedetritusofweldingrods,arelic
builtoverhalfacentury.‘Withthearcwelder,
youuseweldingrods,’Kingexplains.‘People
wouldgivemesecond-handrodsandthey
allhadtobestruckfirstsotheywouldwork
properly.’
ThereareworksdatingbacktoKing’s
timeinLondon,includingwoodandmarble
carvings,stowedawayincupboards
extendingforalmosttwometresunderthe
house.Shepullsoutanexquisiteabstract
woodcarving,about30cmtall,curvaceous
andhoneygolden.‘It’sabeautifulthing.I
knowhowgooditis,’shesays.‘It’sEnglish
boxwood.Itneverhadanyoilonit,it’sall
naturaloil.Itwasallhand-carvedoutofa
slabofwoodyouboughtbythepound
[weight],itwasquiteexpensive.Icould
havesoldit,butI’dlikeagallerytohaveit.
(Hurlstonknowstheworkfromitsdescrip-
tionalone,andconfirmsitwillbeinthe
survey.‘That’sareallyimportantwork,’
hesays.)
Allthecupboardsarefullofsculptures.
It’sanastonishinglegacy.‘Soyoucan
imaginethenightmarethatIleavemy
children,’Kingsayswithalaugh.
WhileGrahamehadhisownstudioat
theotherendofthehouse,bothheandInge
oftenworkedtogetherhere.‘Weusedto
grindandplanehere,andwe’dlaughand
say,“Notmanyoldpeople,orpeopleour
age,wouldbedoingthis”.’
Allthreemainworksfromthefront
gardenwillbetransportedtoTheIanPotter
Centre:NGVAustraliaforConstellation.So
fornow–forachange–thetelltalefront
yardandhouseinWarrandytemightenjoya
spellofrelativeanonymityamongcurious
passers-by.Inthemeantime,theartofa
womaninhertwilightyears–andthatofthe
manwhohelpedhertorealiseit–canenjoy
itsmuch-deservedtimeinthesun.
IngeKing:Constellation,from1Mayto31
August2014,allfoyerlevelsofTheIanPotter
Centre:NGVAustralia.IngeKingwilljoin
NGVDirectorTonyEllwoodinconversation
onSunday4May.Seepage83fordetails.
Words:JoRoberts
Photos:KateBallis