Meet a Colleague: Elliott King

Meet a Colleague: Elliott King Elliott King is a professor of art history.

W&L News Office
October 15, 2025

Q. How long have you worked at W&L?
I've been at W&L for 13 years.

Q. What courses are you teaching this term?
Art Since 1945 and the senior seminar in art historical methodologies.

Q. What is your favorite course to teach, and why?
Honestly, whichever I'm in the middle of teaching. If I had to pick one, however, I'd say my seminar on surrealism. It productively challenges a lot of preconceptions, and that's always a good thing. We can all do with some good "chance encounters with the marvelous."

Q. What do you like most about working at W&L?
The students. They're sharp, engaged and make the classroom a great place to be. In the end, their curiosity and hard work push me to keep growing as both a teacher and scholar.

Q. Where is your favorite location on the W&L campus?
I don't get out of Wilson Hall very often, but I actually quite like my office. A few years ago, we were able to choose a color for a pop wall; mine is called "impulsive purple." The irony is that it took me weeks to decide the color, so there was nothing impulsive about it! The wall is so vibrant it practically glows.

Q. What's your favorite thing to do when you're not working?
Traveling with my wife and twin daughters, especially when it combines great art and great food. At home, I love to cook.

Q. Where did you grow up?
Pueblo, Colorado. My family has been there for generations: I went to the same high school as my mother and my grandmother! Even my great-grandmother grew up in Pueblo (though she went to the rival high school, so we don't talk about that). Later, I spent seven years in England for graduate school and I often feel that's where I truly came into my own.

Q. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Growing up, I really wanted to be a cartoonist. I even had a comic strip that I copyrighted in 1986. Then I wanted to be an entomologist because I loved butterflies (I'm still a pretty good amateur lepidopterist). I started studying at the University of Denver as an international business major before discovering art history as a sophomore.

Q. Who inspired you to teach? What about them inspired you?
I've had the privilege of learning from a lot of amazing teachers-from middle school, high school, college and graduate school. Some were funny, some demanding, most a little quirky, but all cared deeply about their students. Each inspired me in different ways, and I'm grateful to them all.

Q. What book are you reading now?
The last book I read for fun was "Everyday Ubuntu" by Mungi Ngomane, Archbishop Desmond Tutu's granddaughter. My desk also has a large and precarious stack of academic books awaiting my attention.

Q. What music are you listening to these days?
My Spotify basically swings between old country and '80s rock. Last year my family got to see Willie Nelson in concert (my second time), and this summer we saw Billy Idol, Joan Jett and Alice Cooper. I'm proud my 12-year-old daughters know all the lyrics to Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" (RIP Ozzy).

Q. If you could have coffee with one person (living or deceased), who would it be and why?
I have to say Salvador Dalí, right? Though I'd probably regret it: I am sure he'd end up being disappointing in person, and he'd definitely leave me with the bill.

Q. If you could live anywhere, where would you build your dream home?
Probably a Paris apartment or a beach house on the Costa Brava, though, for now, Lexington suits me well, especially in the spring when everything flowers.

Q. What is your favorite film (movie) of all time?
I used to always say "Sliding Doors," though it's been years since I've seen it. The last film that really stuck with me was "Jojo Rabbit."

Q. What is your desert island food?
Chocolate. I'll figure out the rest, but I'll need chocolate.

Q. Tell us something most people don't know about you.
I didn't go abroad until after college. Is that a good one? I also once won an espresso-drinking contest by downing 28 shots in 16 minutes. I haven't slept in years.

Q. What is your secret talent?
When I was in elementary school, I learned to read and write basic Egyptian hieroglyphics. So, if your name is on a cartouche necklace, I can probably decipher it. Not hugely useful, but it's a fun party trick.

Q. Anything else you'd like to share?
Some years ago, my wife and I successfully completed the Beachy Head Marathon, one of the biggest off-road marathons in the U.K. I walked the full 26.2 miles, but it was still insane, jumping over fences and crawling through cow pastures. We had been training at the time for the Stockholm Marathon, though our regimen in London mainly consisted of long runs to various bakeries to buy brownies. At least the brownies kept us motivated. On a more serious note, I feel incredibly fortunate that I get to make a living teaching and researching something I love alongside such smart, motivated students. Teaching at W&L really is a great gig.