Profile

Arthur King: Observer

Like a lot of other kids, I was intrigued by the camera. In my case, I made airplane models, hung them from trees and photographed them, trying to fulfill my dreams of flight.

Between 1955 -58, while studying Industrial Design in Brooklyn, I felt the life force of the city, throbbing with its own rich and visceral beat. A fleeting memory, never to be repeated. Self-taught, it seemed imperative to capture the stark, raw reality of life.

“The negatives from which these prints were made were lost for nearly four decades. Their return reconnected the maker to a time past; an intensity of experience and opportunity that found expression in photography and film. In many ways this group of photographs is evidence of the generosity of the medium and the serendipity of life”
Gus Kayafas

My pictures are windows into a vanished New York; dark, lyrical or documentary.
Life was everywhere if you looked

The impact of time moving on, light, anger and personal statements.
That is what my observation is about. I hope it evokes an eidetic response.

After many years dedicating most of my effort to design, communications and business-related photography, I am in a new phase.

My pictures have been exhibited in several one-man and group shows.

Prints are owned by private collectors and by the Museum of the City of New York