Albert Jacques Franck (2 April 1899 – 28 February 1973) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

artist. He is known for his realistic paintings of Toronto winter scenes, dilapidated neighbourhoods and back lanes."Looking back at Mary Johns, an artists’ haven in mid-century Toronto "
''Toronto Star'', John Lorinc, Jul 19 2015"Albert Jacques Franck"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. His detailed paintings provide a historical record of conditions in some of Toronto's once less affluent neighbourhoods.

Early life

Franck was born at Middelburg, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. As a young man he was a champion swimmer. He moved to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

in 1926, making his living as a swimming instructor and by working in factories He later worked in an art gallery and sold picture frames.

Career

Franck opened a studio in his small home on Gerrard Street in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

. He began by hanging some of his paintings in a local restaurant, and in this way his work became locally known. In the 1950s he and his wife, artist Florence Vale, developed the studio into a gathering place for the arts community. They hosted and supported the work of many young local artists, particularly those participating in the emerging Toronto abstract art scene, including

Joyce Wieland Joyce Wieland (June 30, 1930 – June 27, 1998) was a Canadian experimental filmmaker and mixed media artist. Wieland found success as a painter when she began her career in Toronto in the 1950s. In 1962, Wieland moved to New York City and e ...

and

Kazuo Nakamura Kazuo Nakamura was a Japanese-Canadian painter and sculptor (born Vancouver October 13, 1926; died Toronto April 9, 2002) and a founding member of the Toronto-based Painters Eleven group in the 1950s. Among the first major Japanese Canadian art ...

. Franck and Vale later moved to a larger home, which also served as their studio and gallery, on Hazelton Street as part of a general migration of the art community to the Yorkville area during the 1960s. Franck's first exhibition was presented at York University in 1963. In 1973, he held an exhibition at the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Be ...

. Franck also participated in a number of group exhibitions. Franck's paintings are in the collections of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the

Museum London Museum London is an art and history museum located in London, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the forks of the Thames River. It started its operations in 1940 with London Public Library and amalgamated with London Regional Art Gallery an ...

, the National Exhibition Centre in St. Catharines, the

New Brunswick Museum The New Brunswick Museum, located in Saint John, New Brunswick, is Canada's oldest continuing museum. The New Brunswick Museum was incorporated as the "Provincial Museum" in 1929 and received its current name in 1930, but its history goes back muc ...

, and

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical ...

Art Gallery. He was an Associate member of the

Royal Canadian Academy The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

(1961-1970), and a member of the

Ontario Society of Artists The Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) was founded in 1872. It is Canada's oldest continuously operating professional art society. When it was founded at the home of John Arthur Fraser, seven artists were present. Besides Fraser himself, Marmaduke M ...

(1958), the Canadian Society of Watercolour Painters, and the Canadian Society of Graphic Artists. Fellow artist

Harold Town Harold Barling Town, (June 13, 1924 – December 27, 1990) was a Canadian abstract painter. He is best known as a member of Painters Eleven a group of abstract artists active in Toronto from 1954-1960. Town coined the name of the ...

, a close friend, wrote two books celebrating Franck's art. Franck also taught art in a local high school and played the cello. He and his wife sent small pieces of their art as greeting cards to friends and relatives, and some of these have survived. Franck died in Toronto on February 28, 1973. A street in the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood of Toronto is named for him.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Franck, Albert 1899 births 1973 deaths Artists from Toronto Canadian male painters People from Middelburg, Zeeland 20th-century Canadian painters 20th-century Canadian male artists