Paul King's extensive career has traversed a broad landscape of artistic development, exhibiting and teaching. Raised in the Philadelphia area, he received a BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art and a four year certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The Academy provided a sophisticated foundation for artistic development from notable professors such as Sidney Goodman and Ben Kamahira with an exceptionally gifted group of fellow students including Bo Bartlett and Vince Desiderio. He then traveled extensively through Europe studying in most of the major art centers. These experiences brought a profound sense of his place in the historical continuum and contemporary context. King then went on to earn an MFA in painting from Boston University studying with the Bay-Area Figurative painter James Weeks.
In the following years King became a professor at the University of the Arts and Swarthmore College teaching painting and the figure, while raising a family and continuously producing and exhibiting his work primarily in the Philadelphia region. Through both process and philosophy King pushed for artistic integrity and relevance, the result of which was a natural evolution from representation to abstraction. His unabated search for deeper meaning and quality have brought his work to a mature and clarified point. King’s work is held in numerous private and public collections internationally. Seven years ago he and his wife Bridget Morris moved to Santa Fe and built a beautiful studio adjacent to their home where he continues to live and work. They collaboratively run Bridget’s business, Bella Forte Designs, which specializes in custom presentation boxes for high-end clients globally. King has been represented by and exhibited with GF Contemporary and Strata Gallery in Santa Fe and is currently pursuing a broader national profile.
Bio
Representation
- Strata Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, 2021-2022
- GF Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM 2018-2022
- Seraphin Gallery, Philadelphia, 2010-2012
- Raab Gallery, Philadelphia, 1999-02
- Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa, 1995
- Goforth Rittenhouse Galleries, Philadelphia, Pa. 1990-92
- American Artists Investment, Wayne, Pa, 1992
Solo/Group Exhibitions, selected
- Solo Exhibition, Expanding Moments, Strata Gallery, Santa Fe NM, March 15 - April 2, 2022
- Representation by GF Contemporary, Santa Fe NM. 2018-2020. Exhibited continuously
- Free Fall, Solo Exhibition at the Martin Art Gallery, Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa. June - July, 2012.
- West Philly Abstraction, Group show, University City Arts League, Philadelphia. March, 2012
- Flirting w. Abstraction, Modern & Contemporary Art of Philadelphia, Karen Segal & Woodmere’s Collection -
Group Show, Woodmere Art Museum, Phila. Pa, Sept., 2011
- Acquisition of “Looking for you” into Woodmere Art Museums permanent collection
- Solo exhibition, A Beautiful Mystery, Seraphin Gallery, Philadelphia Pa May, 2011
- Faculty exhibition, University of the Arts, Philadelphia Pa 2010
- Solo Exhibition, Explorations, Pennswood Village Art Gallery, Newtown Pa 2008
- Solo Exhibition, Oils and Monotypes, a visual dialogue between two mediums, Printmaking and Book Arts Gallery, University of the Arts,
Philadelphia Pa - 2007
- Solo Exhibition, Light on Land, RAAB Gallery, Philadelphia Pa - 2001
- Art Matters 2001, Invitational Show representing one artist from each supporting gallery and organization, Woodmere Art Museum Pa 2001
- Solo Exhibition, New Works, RAAB Gallery, Philadelphia Pa - 1999
- Solo Exhibition, RAAB Gallery, Philadelphia Pa - 1998
- Manifestations, Group Show, RAAB Gallery, Philadelphia Pa - 1998
- Art of the State, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, 1997
- Faculty Exhibition, List Gallery, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa - 1996
- 15th Annual Small Works Show, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa, - 1995
- Solo Exhibition, Arronson Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pa, - 1995
- 6th National Juried Exhibition, Viridian Gallery, New York, NY, Juror - Lisa Dennison, Curator Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, NY NY, - 1995
- Exposito Extrema, The Gallery, The State Theatre Center for the Arts, Easton, Pa, (invitational show) - 1995
- Looking In, The Gallery, The State Theater Center for the Arts, Easton, Pa, works by Paul King, Jeff Hurwitz, Ron Wyffels, curated by Paul King - 1993
- Art of the State; Pennsylvania ’92, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pa - 1992
- In Person: A Celebration of the Human Form, The Community Art Center, Wallingford, Pa, Juror Sidney Goodman - 1992
- 94th Juried Fellowship Exhibition, Pa Acad. of the Fine Arts, Woodmere Art Museum, Phila. & USX Towers, Pittsburg, Pa-
Juror; Deane Waldman, Dep. Director, Guggenheim Museum, NY - 1992
- Solo Exhibition, Delaware County Community College Art Gallery, Media Pa 1992
- Faculty Exhibition, Payne Gallery, Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pa - 1996, 1994, 1992, 1990, 1989
- Artists Journals, Faculty Exhibition, Rosenwald/Wolfe Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pa - 1991
- Goforth Rittenhouse Galleries, Winter & Summer Group Shows, Philadelphia Pa - 1991
- 51st Annual Juried Exhibition, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia Pa - 1991
- 25th Anniversary Commemorate Exhibition, Community College of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Pa - 1991
- Immaculata College Invitational Annual, Philadelphia PA - 1991
- Art at the Armory, Philadelphia, Pa - 1990
- Alumni Invitational Exhibition, Rosenwald/Wolfe Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia Pa - 1990
- Solo Exhibition, David E. Rodale Gallery, Baum School of Art, Allentown Pa - 1988
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Annual Fellowship Show, Noyes Museum, NJ, 1986
- Impressions VI, Main Line Chamber of Commerce Juried Show, Philadelphia, Pa - 1986
- Eight Plus Eight - Philadelphia Realism, Philadelphia Sketch Club Invitational Show, Philadelphia Pa - 1986
Professional Experience
- Partner in Bella Forte Designs, an LLC that creates custom presentation boxes and books for a global clientele. bellafortedesigns.com
- Adjunct Associate Professor, University of the Arts, Philadelphia Pa, 2000 - 2015/ Senior Lecturer 1991 - 2000/ Lecturer, 1986 - 1991,
Artistic Anatomy, Figure Utilization, Communication/ Drawing / Painting
- Visiting Instructor, Studio Art, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore Pa - 1996 - 2000; foundational and intermediate drawing and painting
- Adjunct Professor, Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pa 1987 - 1996; Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Painting and Drawing and Anatomy
- Instructor, Baum School Of Art, Allentown Pa 1987 - 1992; Advanced Painting and Figure Drawing
Education
- M.F.A. Boston University, 1983-85, Painting
- Four Year Certificate, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1979-83, Painting & Drawing
- B.F.A. Philadelphia College of Art, with honors, 1974-78, Illustration, Drawing, & Graphic Design
Listings/Reviews Publications
- Mothers, Published by Running Press, (contemporary and historical work with the theme of Mothers), three editions - distributed internationally. First published in 1997
- Listed in Art In America, Annual Guide, 1992 - 01
- Philadelphia Inquirer, September, 1996, April 1990
- Chestnut Hill Local, June - 1998, Dec. 1999, 2000, 2001
- Philadelphia Weekly, June - 1998
- The Morning Call, Allentown, April 1998, June 1993
- Delaware County Daily News, January 1992
- Art Matters, February, 1990 - September, 1995, December 2000
