Page 32 - Famous

BASIL C. FRANK

Lives and works in Jerusalem, Israel
w w w.bcfrank.co.il

The blind rigidity of the Israeli art canon is a wondrous phenomenon that Frank set out as a minimalist artist during the 70’s in South Africa and was a
probably will be thoroughly evaluated in the days of the messiah. Take for political activist against the Apartheid Regime. During his studies at the St’
instance the Jerusalem artist Basil Frank who won 5 consecutive international Martins College of Art in London, he became more of an expressionist and
awards in last the 5 years but only inside Israel nobody pees in his direction. was associated with artists such as Anthony Caro and Joseph Beuys. When
It makes you wonder? Not really! When the Israeli establishment sets his he got to Jerusalem, he started a more conceptual and matured stage in his
mind to condemning, international acclaim does not help. When Frank won work. His studio in the industrial area of the Talpiyot neighborhood is filled
the grand-prix in the Osaka Triennial in ’97 he naively thought that maybe, the to the rim with photos, sculptures, and installations in his own special
at last, something will also change in the Holy Land to which he migrated in contemporary style – kinky, blunt on the verge of brutal.
the end of the 80’s from South Africa; but no respected international juror Despite of Frank’s optimism and survivalist nature, he developed over the
obviously has the capacity to change our enlightened wise men’s opinions. years a sense of bitterness and anger towards the fact that his art works didn’t
Basil Frank remained an anonymous artist in his country and his city even after find their way to the walls of Israel’s museum. “I wonder how many more
five years and five more awards, including a prize at the Florence Biennale international awards it will take me to get recognition for my work in Israel”.
in December 2001.
Anat Munitz, art critic for Ma’ariv, Israeli (fragment)
 THE SACRIFICE, 19971-2001 B&W PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM LAMINATED ON PERSPEX 95X250X2 CM. /37X64X¾ IN.
AWARDED WORK, BIENNIAL INT’L DELL’ ARTE CONTEMPORANEA CITTA DI FIRENZE, LORENZO IL MAGNIFICO

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FAMOUS
CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS