Harold Frank (American born in England, 1921-1995). "Exotic Lady" oil on board, n.d. Artist signature in lower right corner. A vivid painting by Harold Frank depicting the abstract face of a female delineated in quick, energetic splashes of vivid hues on a dark field. According to Frank scholar Sandie Stern, "Like his idol de Kooning, Frank chose the human figure, as his principal subject. Variations on women became a lifelong, consistent, ubiquitous theme." (Stern, "H. Frank", p. 16) Frank immigrated with his family to the US through Ellis Island. Growing up in the tenements of the Lower East Side in New York City during the era of the Great Depression and World War II, Frank found Abstract Expressionism to be the ideal means to explore the angst of his world. He once stated, "I can live with the abstract. Life is a mystery." Size of painting: 8.9" W x 13" H (22.6 cm x 33 cm) Size of frame: 24.9" W x 28.9" H (63.2 cm x 73.4 cm)

Harold Frank studied art at the Art Students League in New York, the National Academy of Design, Pratt Institute, Chouinard Art Institute, and UCLA where he was a colleague of Richard Diebenkorn (American, 1922-1993), an artist who is oftentimes associated with Abstract Expressionism as well as a pioneer of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. In addition to Diebenkorn, Frank's influences include DeKooning, Picasso, Matisse, and Rouault. While he also created landscapes, non-objective abstract compositions, and still-life paintings, figures and head studies were the predominant theme of his oeuvre.

For more about Harold Frank, see Sandie Stern's monograph "Harold Frank Abstract Expressionist 1921-1995" (2001).

Provenance: private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection, acquired via descent, purchased June 25, 1973

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#174797

Artist signature in lower right corner. Title inscribed on verso. Set in custom mattes and a velvet and silver-painted wood frame. Tear to one matte in lower left and a few scuffs to frame that do not affect image. Painting in excellent overall condition.