Hayward Ellis King with Jay Defeo as the live components of an elaborate still life set-up in what appears to be Studio 13.
Hayward King, untitled (Reference Calendar), c. 1961. Ink, felt tip marker, graphite, collage, on found paper 26” x 21.” Courtesy of Gred Flood.
Celebrating June PRIDE
Painter and printmaker Hayward King moved from Pasadena to San Francisco in 1949 with fellow students Deborah Remington, David Simpson, John Allen Ryan, and Wally Hedrick in order to attend SFAI. They were uninterested in the commercially-oriented schools of Southern California, which King found “too rigid,” and had heard of SFAI by reputation—according to King, it was “the only place to go on [the West] Coast.” King was drafted into the Korean War in 1950, but returned to SFAI after two years of service to complete his BFA in 1955. King, along with Remington, Hedrick, Simpson, Ryan and Jack Spicer co-founded the 6 Gallery where Allen Ginsberg first read his iconic poem Howl. King received a Fulbright to study at the Sorbonne, worked as the personal assistant for Edward Weston, was the Registrar at SFMOMA, and served as the Director of the Richmond Art Center at a time when a queer, Black director of an arts institution was unheard of.
Hayward King is one of the SFAI alumni featured in SFAI 150: A Spirit of Disruption on view now at SFAI—make an appointment to see the show!
With permission, SFAA is re-posting the emails Jeff Gunderson Librarian/Archivist Anne Bremer Memorial Library has been sending out since March 2020. Please enjoy this magnificent archive.
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