David King was a British writer, designer and historian of graphic design who, in the course of his research, assembled one of the largest collections of Soviet graphics and photographs. From this collection, he created a series of revelatory books unfolding the history of the Russian Revolution, and its associated art and propaganda. King developed a special interest in Leon Trotsky and the subsequent doctoring of revolutionary photos and records. Part of King's collection is housed on the fourth floor of Tate Modern, London.
Early life
King was born in Isleworth, Middlesex, and studied typography at the London School of Printing. His tutor Robin Fior introduced King to Soviet Constructivist revolutionary graphics and political art. King worked in advertising agencies and then became the art editor of The Sunday Times from 1965 to 1975. While working for The Sunday Times, King made his first research trips to Mexico and the Soviet Union in search of photos and graphics from the revolutionary period. He uncovered many unknown images of Trotsky and, with writer Francis Wyndham, King created his first book: Trotsky: A Documentary. Wyndham commented that after an apparent dearth of Trotsky images, " there were now more photographs of Trotsky than there were of Marilyn Monroe."
Career
King devoted his career to uncovering and chronicling the art of the Soviet and the Constructivist periods, developing a special interest in the doctoring of photographs and the accompanying process of historical revisionism. King published the result of his research in The Commissar Vanishes: The Falsification of Photographs and Art in Stalin’s Russia in 1997, and Ordinary Citizens: The Victims of Stalin in 2003. King’s book became the basis of an audiovisual collaboration with composer Michael Nyman, who created a soundtrack to The Commissar Vanishes, which was first performed at the Barbican Centre, London, in 1999. King also worked as a graphic designer in the record business designing covers for The Who Sell Out and . His design for the Jimi Hendrix album Electric Ladyland generated controversy by featuring a David Montgomery photo of 19 nude women. The photo was considered too risqué for the US edition of the album. King developed his photographic skills to produce a book about Muhammad Ali: I Am King: A Photographic Biography of Muhammad Ali, published in 1975. In the 1970s, King created posters and graphics for many political groups, including the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the National Union of Journalists. He originated the red-and-yellow arrow logo for the Anti-Nazi League and also designed posters for Rock Against Racism concerts and marches. Working with the art galleryModern Art Oxford, King designed a series of catalogues and posters for Soviet art exhibitions, including Alexander Rodchenko, Vladimir Mayakovsky: Twenty Years of Work and Art Into Production: Soviet Textiles, Fashion and Ceramics 1917–1935. King's collection grew to more than 250,000 items which have formed the basis for a series of exhibitions in Tate Modern. Professor Stephen F. Cohen described King's work as "a one-man archaeological expedition into the lost world, the destroyed world, of the original Soviet leadership. He was determined to unearth everything that Stalin had buried so deeply and so bloodily." King identified with the values of the revolutionary movement he chronicled. In his book Red Star Over Russia, he wrote: "Even as a child I detested capitalism. I thought it was unfair. I also loathed religion and monarchy. I found the clothes they dressed up in sinister and frightening. I used to dream, like all children, how life would be in the 21st century. If anyone had told me there would still be inequality, racism, kings, queens and religious maniacs stalking the planet, I would have considered them crazy."
