Self-taught American jeweler Arthur King worked with baroque pearls, geodes, and raw semi-precious gemstones to create distinctive modernist jewelry during the mid-20th century.
Like many of the accessories that populate our jewelry boxes, the forms of King’s provocative vintage brooches, necklaces, rings and other jewels were inspired by the natural world, but the pieces’ metalwork is sculptural and shapely, resembling gnarled tree branches or the surface of an elm’s aging trunk.
King was born in New Jersey in 1921. He became interested in art at a young age and was fascinated with the lost-wax casting technique practiced by some sculptors. King taught himself the process using scrap metals, and his jewelry and objets d’art would come to share common ground with abstract art in the years to come.
While stationed overseas in the Merchant Marines in World War II, King began to work with metal and dabble in jewelry making, integrating sharks’ teeth, white scrap metal and whatever else he could find into his modest “art jewelry,” a term that has been used to describe adornments created by Alexander Calder, pioneering African American studio jeweler Art Smith, Andrew Grima and others over the years. Upon returning from the war, King continued to develop his skills — eventually opening his first shop in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood.
King truly distinguished himself from other jewelers of the time — at his workbench, he shaped the brass and silver settings for his often unpolished, chunky stones that featured asymmetrical cuts and employed the age-old technique of lost-wax casting, which sees objects cast from wax models. His early pieces mainly featured silver settings, but his popularity soared once he began to craft jewelry in gold.
In 1961, King's work was exhibited at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London as part of the “International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery” and a year later, he opened his flagship store on Madison Avenue. His success allowed him to open more locations in London, Cape Cod, Havana, Miami and elsewhere.
King used a dizzying array of gems and other materials in his unconventional pieces. And as much as the jewelry of the 1960s featured eye-catching candy-colored stones, it was also an era of new textures and freeform gold settings, and King was at the forefront, creating audacious designs that contrasted sharply with the work of the world’s leading luxury houses.
King’s work has been celebrated at a range of institutions over the years including the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (now the Museum of Arts and Design), the Cultured Pearl Association of Japan, the Victoria and Albert Museum and more. His jewelry was exhibited at the Cincinnati Art Museum’s “Simply Brilliant: Artist-Jewelers of the 1960s and 1970s,” which opened in 2021.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Arthur King brooches, rings, necklaces and more.
$2,100
Round Up (B&W Photograph from 1950s of amusement park ride and apartments)
By Arthur King
Located in Hudson, NY
Round Up (B&W Photograph from 1950s of amusement park ride and apartments) by Arthur King, 1958 Silver Gelatin print on Archival paper 24 x 20 in, 28 x 27in framed All prints are Li...
Silver Gelatin
Painting Beam (B&W Photograph from 1950s of man suspended on wire)
By Arthur King
Located in Hudson, NY
Painting Beam (B&W Photograph from 1950s of man suspended on wire) by Arthur King, 1957 Silver Gelatin print on Archival paper 14 x 11 in, 20 x 16in framed All prints are Limited Ed...
Silver Gelatin
$5,000
H 11 in W 14 in
Eve Babitz and Marcel Duchamp playing chess during Duchamp's Pasadena Art Museum
By Julian Wasser
Located in New York, NY
Listing is for an unframed print and includes free shipping to the continental US and 14-day return policy. Julian Wasser Eve Babitz and Marcel Duchamp pl...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Joan and Quintana Roo (Frame 27a.)
By Julian Wasser
Located in New York, NY
Listing includes free shipping for unframed prints and a 14 day return policy. Joan Didion by Julian Wasser 20 x 16 inch gelatin silver print Edition 3 of 15 Signed on verso by Julian Wasser *Please inquire for international shipments. Quotes will be provided at cost via FedEx. Description - Julian Wasser started his career in photography in the Washington DC bureau of the Associated Press where he met and accompanied the famous news photographer Weegee – who would become a lasting influence on him. In the mid-60s Wasser moved to Los Angeles as a contract photographer for TIME, LIFE, and FORTUNE magazines and becoming internationally known as the go to guy for getting candid but memorably composed photographs. (His iconic images of Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston; Marcel Duchamp and Eve Babitz; and a young Jodie Foster are already classics.) In 1968 TIME Magazine assigned Wasser to go to the home of the young writer Joan Didion whose book Slouching Towards Bethlehem was becoming a literary sensation. “I’d read her fiction,” said Wasser. “and she didn’t miss a thing. She was such a heavyweight person.” Wasser shot Didion at her rented house on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood, where she lived with her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne, and their daughter, Quintana Roo. “It was a nice, cozy house,” Wasser remembers. “And she was a very easy person to talk to...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$5,200
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
Konrad Helbig Photographs Pair Sicilian Youth 1950 Original Gelatin Silver
Located in Glenford, NY
Exceptional pair of original 8 × 10-inch gelatin silver photographs by German photographer Konrad Helbig (1917–1986) depicting a young male model posed nude beside the Mediterranean....
Silver Gelatin
$950
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1950s Photograph of "Beefcake" model MAYNARD KEITH #2
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare early 1950s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of model MAYNARD KEITH. This is #2 of a series of 4 images of Maynard ...
Silver Gelatin
$950
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1940s Photograph of "Beefcake" model MIKE DUBEL #2
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare 1940s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of bodybuilder and Mr. America contender MIKE DUBEL. Dubel competed in the 1...
Silver Gelatin
$1,250
H 7.625 in W 9.625 in D 0.07 in
John Arnt Photograph of Don Erdahl #1 Seattle 1953 Vintage Gelatin Silver
Located in Glenford, NY
American photographer John Arnt (Jon C. Arnt 1906-1982) extremely rare, original vintage gelatin silver photograph of model Don Erdahl, full frontal composition, Seattle, circa 1953....
Silver Gelatin
$2,200
H 9.63 in W 7.63 in D 0.07 in
EDWIN TOWNSEND 1930 VINTAGE MALE NUDE PHOTOGRAPH 'THE WRESTLERS'
Located in Glenford, NY
Edwin F. Townsend rare vintage original gelatin silver photograph titled “The Wrestlers” - alternatively known as “Wrestling Study” - early 20th Century male nude image from 1930, a ...
Silver Gelatin
$950
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1940s Photograph of "Beefcake" model MIKE DUBEL #5
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare 1940s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of bodybuilder and Mr. America contender MIKE DUBEL. Dubel competed in the 1...
Silver Gelatin
$600
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
LON OF NY ALONZO HANAGAN RARE 1950 VINTAGE MALE NUDE PHOTOGRAPH FRED REGAN
Located in Glenford, NY
Alonzo Hanagan, Lon of New York, Original Vintage Photograph of Fred Regan, circa 1950. Alonzo James Hanagan (1911–1999), working under the pseudonym "Lon of New York," was a pion...
Silver Gelatin
$2,200
H 9.63 in W 7.63 in D 0.07 in
EDWIN TOWNSEND RARE 1930s VINTAGE MALE NUDE PHOTOGRAPH OF JACK FONTAINE
Located in Glenford, NY
Edwin F. Townsend rare early vintage original gelatin silver photograph of model Jack Fontaine circa 1930s. Jack Fontaine was a recognized model who worked with Edwin F. Townsend du...
Silver Gelatin
$950
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1940s Photograph of "Beefcake" model MIKE DUBEL #3
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare 1940s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of bodybuilder and Mr. America contender MIKE DUBEL. Dubel competed in the 1...
Silver Gelatin
$1,350
H 9.75 in W 7.75 in D 0.07 in
John Arnt Photograph of John Curtis #1 Seattle 1950 Vintage Gelatin Silver
Located in Glenford, NY
American photographer John Arnt (Jon C. Arnt 1906-1982) extremely rare, original vintage gelatin silver photograph of model John Curtis, full frontal composition, with spear and carv...
Silver Gelatin
$950
H 8 in W 10 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1940s Photograph of "Beefcake" model MIKE DUBEL #7
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare 1940s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of bodybuilder and Mr. America contender MIKE DUBEL. Dubel competed in the 1...
Silver Gelatin
$1,633
H 24 in W 20 in
Liz Hurley - Celebrity Photography Print (Limited Edition of 25) -- 20 x 24 In.
By John Stoddart 1
Located in New York, NY
Elizabeth Hurley photographed by British celebrity and fashion photographer John Stoddart. This risqué iconic black and white photograph expresses her incredible figure, capturing th...
Silver Gelatin
$875
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1940s Photograph of "Beefcake" model BOB GIBE #1
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare 1940s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of model BOB GIBE. Photograph is an excellent example of Juleff's masterful ...
Silver Gelatin
McSorley's, St. Patrick's Day Flag
By Arthur King
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed, titled, and dated in black ink, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Price includes framing. Ab...
Silver Gelatin
McSorley's, St. Patrick's Day Flag
By Arthur King
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed, titled, and dated in black ink, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Price includes framing. Ab...
Silver Gelatin
San Gennaro
By Arthur King
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed, titled, and dated in black ink, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Price includes framing. Ab...
Silver Gelatin
San Gennaro, Outside of Paolucci's Restaurant
By Arthur King
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed and numbered (1/25) in black ink, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Price includes framing. A...
Silver Gelatin
Man with Cap, McSorley's
By Arthur King
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed and numbered (1/25) in black ink, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Price includes framing. A...
Silver Gelatin
Myrtle Avenue El (Passenger)
By Arthur King
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed, titled, and dated in black ink, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Price includes framing. Ab...
Silver Gelatin
Washington Market, 205
By Arthur King
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed, titled, and dated in black ink, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Price includes framing. Ab...
Silver Gelatin
Vacant Lot, Girls
By Arthur King
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed, titled, and dated in black ink, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Price includes framing. Ab...
Silver Gelatin
Lyric Moment, From Manhattan Bridge
By Arthur King
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed and numbered (2/25) in black ink, recto 14 x 11 inches, sheet This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Price includes framing. A...
Silver Gelatin