William Kineton Parkes (1865–1938) was an English

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

and

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

, known best for his publication concerning

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and his 1914

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

novel ''Hardware: A Novel in Four Books''. Parkes was born in

Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Birmingham city centre, Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a wards of the United Kingdom, war ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, one of six children of William Parkes, who worked in Birmingham's jewellery trade. He was educated at King Edward's Grammar School in Aston and at

Mason Science College Mason Science College was a university college in Birmingham, England, and a predecessor college of the University of Birmingham. Founded in 1875 by industrialist and philanthropist Sir Josiah Mason, the college was incorporated into the Univer ...

, a predecessor of the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

. From 1891 to 1911 he was principal of the Nicholson Institute, Leek. During 1922 he published his two volume survey ''Sculpture of Today''. The papers for this work and an unpublished third volume are possessed by the Victoria & Albert Museum. A second two volume work ''The Art of Carved Sculpture'' was published in 1931. He was a regular contributor to magazines such as ''

Architectural Review ''The Architectural Review'' is a monthly international architectural magazine. It has been published in London since 1896. Its articles cover the built environment – which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism � ...

'', ''

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

'' and '' The Studio''.

References

External links

"The Forgotten Kineton Parkes Questionnaires", by Cathy Corbett, ''3rd Dimension'', 28 April 2016

"William Kineton Parkes and sculptors of the twenties"

"Considering national art from a distance: Kineton Parkes and his reflections on contemporary sculpture made in Spain", by Cristina Rodríguez-Samaniego, ''Sculpture Journal,'' vol.25, issue1, 2016
1865 births 1938 deaths Alumni of the University of Birmingham English art historians English librarians People educated at King Edward VI Aston School People from Aston Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands {{UK-art-historian-stub