NGV Honors 99 Year Old Artist with INGE KING: CONSTELLATION, May 1

At the forefront of Australian abstract sculpture for more than six decades, the formidable career of Inge King AM will be celebrated with a major survey at the National Gallery of Victoria in May.

Now in her 99th year, King is one of the country's most respected artists, holding a distinguished place in Australian art history.

Inge King: Constellation will be staged throughout the foyer spaces across NGV Australia's three levels and present 92 works, from small maquette studies to larger, full-scale pieces, alongside King's recent sculptures and collages, her lesser-unknown jewellery designs and many early works, some of which have never been on public display.

Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said, "Inge King has been a vibrant force in Australian sculpture for more than sixty years. We have been honoured to develop this retrospective in collaboration with Inge, recognising the deep and lasting impact she has had and continues to have upon the field of modern Australian sculpture."

King's work is held in all major national collections and through her numerous commissions she has become one of Australia's best known and most prominent sculptural artists, renowned especially for her monumental public works. These include her thirteen metre-tall work Sentinel, 2000, located on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway and, what is perhaps her most admired public sculpture, Forward surge, 1974-81, sited on the lawn between the Victorian Arts Centre and Hamer Hall and which, in 1992, was listed by the National Trust of Australia.

Born Ingeborg Neufeld in 1915 in Berlin, King was first introduced to sculpture by the German figurative sculptorHermann Nonnenmacher in 1937. She spent time travelling through the United Kingdom and United States before settling permanently in Australia in 1951. Having witnessed the vibrant post-war European art scene and beginnings of Abstract Expressionism in the United States, upon her relocation to Australia she created some of the earliest steel sculptures to be produced in the country. Within a decade, King had established a firm reputation as a significant sculpture artist.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a range of public programs including a free 'in conversation' event between the artist and Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, on Sunday 4 May. Visit ngv.vic.gov.au for further details.

Inge King: Constellation will be on display at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia from 1 May to 31 August 2014. Open 10am-5pm, closed Mondays. Free entry.