Born breech baby, crippled, slept in leg-irons to the age of 8. Bullied by school children. Sketched landscapes, studied perspective under my teacher Mr.Hoskyn’s awarded prize. Head bashed against the black board by the teacher. Built periscopes, huts, carts, tin canoes and bailed the water. Created and burnt my Guy Fawkes on the day. Sang choir &solo.

Matriculation art class studied Bauhaus under Mr.Hoekstra of the Ryksakademie. Michaelis School Art, University Cape Town majored sculpture.,left for London where I was accepted within 10 minutes on my Michaelis portfolio at Saint Martins College Postgraduate Studies Sculpture – St. Martins College of Art , London.

– Diploma specialised welding. Immigrated to Israel 1986, lives in Jerusalem, married with a daughter. In 2006 after a search in Yad Vashem holocaust archives, the Jewish National University Library , and surviving family immigrants , 12 members of the Frank family perished in the Shoah.

Review late Michael Sgan Cohen : “Basil Frank’s student work was grounded in minimalism and post-minimalism. He did serial work, clean and restrained in his native South Africa and later in the 70s when studying in London at St. Martin’s, was influenced by Caro’s concrete formalist sculpture, which was a dominant force at that time. In South Africa, Frank was politically active opposing the regime ruled by a racist principle”. 

“My works are based on the examination of imagery exploring the tension between the photographic documentation of reality and the constructed, imaginary space .A metamorphosis into accumulating traces of layers, concerns the exposure of the psychic realm reality to the metaphoric and conceptual area. culture. Sir Charles Saatchi OBE wrote in 1998 ‘I can see why so many people are excited   by your work’ Dr. Harald Szeemann curator Venice Biennale stated Frank a ‘master of still life’. Curator, David Rubin San Antonio Museum awarded “Lorenzo il Magnifico” at Florence Bienniale   jurors Prof. John T.Spike, Prof.Barbara Rose Editor Rump De Welt newspaper Friday 10 th March wrote; Frank always finds his public. During the Biennale in Beijing in 2005 at the Millennium Museum, visitors lined up three rows deep around the photographs of his installations on the seashore.”

“I could not ignore the influence upon my work of the German Sculptor Joseph Beuys, whom I met on a few occasions. In 1985 I had the opportunity to photograph Beuys and his installation “PLIGHT” at the Anthony D’Offay Gallery, London”. My work has been exhibited in 144 museums and art centres.  Recipient of 21 international awards.