Albert Franck

Albert Franck (1899-1973)

Albert Jacques Franck was born in Middleburg, Holland. As a young man he excelled as a cellist as well as a competitive swimmer, the latter of which took him to Belgium, where he became the long distance swimming champion of 1924. Franck then travelled to Indonesia, the United States, and eventually to Canada, where he worked as a swim coach for the YMCA in various places, including Montreal and Jasper National Park in Alberta. Franck had been interested in painting as a child but his father had discouraged him from pursuing art. When he settled in Toronto in 1926, he renewed this interest, turning his artistic focus to painting street scenes. During this time, he worked at both Eaton s and Simpson s department stores' fine art departments while simultaneously working as a painting restorer. He set up his own shop on Gerrard Street, where he also exhibited his own work, which helped him financially during the Depression. His work was exhibited at Simpson s and Eaton s, as well as Roberts Gallery and Hart House in Toronto. His primary subjects were old houses of Toronto, accompanied by some still-life’s, florals, and aerial views of Canada. Franck was an influential artist and was friends with many of the Painters Eleven group, particularly Harold Town, who wrote a book about Franck entitled Albert Franck: Keeper of the Lanes - His Life, Times and Work, published in 1974. Franck died in Toronto in 1973 at the age of 74.