King, Ron, Born 1932
Dates
- Existence: Born 1932
Biography
Ron King is a British artist and printer who founded Circle Press in 1967 in a spirit of collaboration which gave artists and writers a unique chance to work on all aspects of the creative process of book making, culminating in the production of works of art in their own right. These works did not go to press until they were as perfect as they could be, which is why Circle Press artists’ books and pamphlets are examples of colour and printing technique of the highest order, and are some of the most beautiful and striking works of art from any private press operating at the time. Ron King’s later works, especially those in collaboration with poet Roy Fisher, such as 'Anansi Company' (1996) and 'Tabernacle' (2001), are on a large and complex scale, demonstrating King’s perfect colour pitch and heightened sense of composition with text and image in perfect harmony.
Ron King was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1932, a place whose folklore and history have inspired his work for over 60 years. In 1951, he began his studies at the Chelsea School of Art where he met his future wife, the sculptor Willow Legge. In 1956, the couple moved to Canada where King worked as an art director for four years at the publishing house, McLean Hunter, before returning to the UK to prepare for his first solo show in Toronto. In the early 1960s, King began teaching at the Farnham School of Art where he began printmaking, which later led to the formation of Circle Press, and the press's first book, 'The Prologue to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales'.
The late 1960s saw Circle Press establish its reputation as a fine artist's press in Guildford where King worked in close collaboration with a group of poets and artists. In 1988, King moved the press to Nottinghill in London where it remained for 25 years.