Victor Willing

Victor Arthur James Willing (15 January 1928 – 1 June 1988) was a British painter

Victor Willing was born in Alexandria, Egypt, the only son of George Willing, professional soldier, and his wife Irene Cynthia Tomkins. The first four years of his life were spent there and, briefly, in Malta. On returning to the UK his father was posted to various parts of southern England including the Isle of Wight and Bordon, Hampshire. Willing's education was in consequence rather disrupted until the family moved permanently to Guildford, Surrey and he was able to attend The Royal Grammar School there, 1940–45. A year was then spent at Guildford School of Art while he awaited call-up to National Service which duly followed, 1946-48.

He secured a commission as second-lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, serving in Northern Ireland and at Dover. On release he was accepted by the Slade School of Fine Art, University of London but only to start in 1949, so he returned for a year to Guildford Art School studying sculpture under Willi Soukop. A fellow student and friend there at the time was Elisabeth Frink. He produced two accomplished stone carvings during this year, a female torso and a head (private collections).

Willing's start at the Slade coincided with William Coldstream's arrival there as Director and Professor. Fellow entrants that year included Michael Andrews, Henry Inlander and James Burr, while Euan Uglow, Craigie Aitchison, Paula Rego and Myles Murphy also overlapped subsequently. Other close friends, Keith Sutton and Peter Snow, had started the previous year.

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