Frank Rosen (1918–1998) was a prolific South African artist born 1 August 1918.

He was an athletic youth and joined the British Army during WWII, where he fought in the North Africa Campaign as a Tank driver. He was injured and was sent for treatment in Italy. There he witnessed work by many of the great Italian painters.  He self-identified as a painter whilst in Naples in 1944.[1]

He returned to South Africa after the war and set up a business as a Certified Public Accountant which he subsequently sold in 1955 to enrol at The Central School of Art and Craft ( later the Central School of Art and Design ) where he studied in 1955, and 57/58.[1].  He moved to England permanently in 1960/61 when he bought a house on Hampstead Lane, London.

During this early period he exhibited at:[2]

  • Alder Gallery, Johannesburg - 1959
  • ZOA Hall, Tel Aviv - 1959/60
  • Artists House, Jerusalem - 1960

He showed an Exhibition of 30 paintings at the Qantas Gallery in London n December 1962. The program for the exhibition had an extended introduction by Pierre Rouve. Other exhibitions in which he participated are listed in that programme.[2]

  • Third Grand Prix International, Monte Carlo - 1962
  • São Paulo Biennial, Brazil - 1961
  • Kunstzaal Plaats, The Hague - 1958
  • Amsterdam - 1958
  • Royal Academy, London - 1958 and 59
  • Paris Salon - 1962
  • Munich - 1961
  • Throughout Yugoslavia 1961
  • Throughout South Africa - 1958/62
  • Salisbury, Rhodesia - 1958
  • He exhibited at the Reid, Redfern, Leicester and John Whibley Galleries in London during 1962.

His second exhibition at the John Whibley Gallery was in June 1973, where his collection 'The Israeli Suite and Recent Paintings' was on show.[3]

His Retrospective took place at the Museum of Science and Technology in California1979[4] as evidenced on the back of several of his paintings. The retrospective closed in 1984 and was said in a newspaper report to have been viewed by more than a million people.[5]

According to newspaper articles in the early to mid-eighties, he divided his time between his Summer residence in Hampstead, and his winter home in Palm Springs. He is noted in the American Newspapers for his lecture accompanied by his own film - The Romantic Revival. He is also noted in 1986 for the unveiling of his series Spirits of the Grand Canyon.

He had three long term addresses in Johannesburg, South Africa, Hampstead Lane, London, and Palm Springs, California.

He is listed in the 1958[6] and 59[7] Royal Academy brochures in St John's Wood, London, though this is before his period of permanent UK residency.

There is a painting in the collection of the Glasgow Museums titled Knight and Squire[8]

He died in 1998.

References

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  1. ^ "San Bernardino Sun 26 June 1983" – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  2. ^ a b "Frank Rosen". library.tate.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  3. ^ "Frank Rosen : the Israeli Suite and recent paintings". library.tate.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  4. ^ Desert Sun, 30 May 1979
  5. ^ Desert Sun, Number 201, 27 March 1985
  6. ^ "The exhibition of the Royal Academy, 1958. The 190th. | Exhibition Catalogues | RA Collection | Royal Academy of Arts". www.royalacademy.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  7. ^ "Exhibition catalogues | RA Collection | Royal Academy of Arts". www.royalacademy.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  8. ^ "Rosen, Frank, 1918–1998". Art UK.