Richard King

Richard King (1907-74), stained glass artist and illustrator, was born in Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Between 1927-29 he studied illustration and design under Austin Mulloy at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. In 1928 he joined the Harry Clarke Stained Glass Studios. Following Clarke’s death in 1931 he became the Studio’s principal designer and manager. He designed the Kevin Barry memorial window, unveiled at UCD in Earlsfort Terrace in 1934 by President Eamonn de Valera (relocated to UCD Belfield in 2011). From 1940, King worked independently from his own studio in Dalkey, producing many stained glass windows, paintings and graphic art. Between 1933 and 1949 he designed twelve postage stamps for the Irish Government. He also regularly contributed illustrations to the Capuchin Annual and Father Matthew Record. His windows can be found in churches across Ireland, as well as in England, Wales, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. King’s last windows were for St Patrick’s Church, Newport, Co. Mayo. He designed windows for Boston College Library, Massachusetts, and the St Thomas More Jesuit Chapel at the University of Western Australia in Crawley, for which the Gallery owns a set of seven cartoons, purchased in 1993 (NGI.19400-19406).