Tuesday, September 27, 2011

HANNAH FRANK ART NEWS SEPTEMBER 2011

It’s been a hectic few months and I’ve been meaning to send a newsletter for about twelve weeks. So here it is. First - a Shana Tovah, Happy New Year, and well over the fast, to all my Jewish readers.


The main highlights of this newsletter are NEW cards and NEW notelets, NEW stockists, and an AUCTION – coming up TODAY Tuesday 27th September!


AUCTION AT McTEAR’S I’m delighted to report that two Hannah Frank works are up for auction on TUESDAY 27th September (probably ‘today’ depending on when you get this email) at McTear’s Auction House in Glasgow. The drawing, ‘Spirit of Delight’ from 1927 was untraced for many years. I found it though a chance encounter on eBay. I was offering Hannah Frank prints there when Adam Brawn Meek, an antiques dealer from Norwich, came forward. Adam was offered a set of Hannah Frank drawings in the 1970s. He bought four drawings and a set of woodcuts. ‘Spirit of Delight’ was one of these drawings and had been hiding in his attic for 30 years!

The drawing illustrates Shelley’s melancholy poem of 1824 and features a slender female figure in white with flowing hair and gown against a stark black background. Beneath the drawing, which is signed by the artist, Hannah has inscribed the words: ‘Rarely, rarely, comest thou – Spirit of Delight – Shelley.’ My aunt sold a number of drawings in the 1970s to a dealer who came to her front door in Glasgow. Several have since surfaced in the Norwich area. The minimum on all drawings at this auction is £1000. This is the first time an original Hannah Frank drawing has come up for auction for many years and we’re very interested to see what interest there will be. One of Hannah Frank’s sculptures, a bronze head from 1954, is also being auctioned.

The auction takes place at 6pm and you can either go in person, bid online or watch the progress of this auction - live on the McTear’s website. See their website for more info. (I’ll be watching live in Lancaster if you’d like to join me at my house....)

NOTELETS By popular demand – thanks to Beatrice Sofaer AND Arteria in Lancaster – we now have Hannah Frank NOTELETS. These are half the size of the normal cards, they come in packs of six assorted images, there are four different sets of assorted images, and each set costs £5.99 to buy (plus £1.50 p&p). They’re so new they’re not even on the website yet but you can see the makeup of the different sets HERE . If you’d like to order one or more sets, either print off an order form and send it back to me with a cheque, or just email me your name and address and how many of which sets of notelets you’d like, and I’ll send you back a paypal invoice by return (or you can post a cheque, payable to Hannah Frank Art Sales, to the address on the order form.) You don’t even have to look at the document – just email me if you’d like me to choose you a ‘lucky dip’ pack. These make lovely presents and can come as a special ‘gift’ set tied up with black ribbon – on request.

ARDGOWAN HOSPICE ART SHOW Sarah Nottingham got in touch and asked if we would be prepared to help out with an art show in aid of Ardgowan Hospice, Greenock, running from 18 to 20 November. You will be able to buy Hannah Frank notelets and prints at the Riverside Inverclyde Gallery, at the Ladyburn Business Centre, Pottery Street, Greenock, PA15 2UH.

BREAST CANCER CARE We have donated a signed print which will be auctioned at the Breast Cancer Care champagne reception and evening fashion show taking place at the Radisson Hotel, Glasgow, on Thursday 29th September, 2011. See their website for further information.

RIOT RAFFLE Hannah Frank art has also made a contribution to the clean-up after the recent riots that broke out across the UK. We donated a signed copy of the 1947 print 'Woman with Birds' to "riotraffle', the art and craft community raising money for the Retail Trust. All of the money raised will go to help small businesses harmed in the riots around the UK. Please visit the site and buy a raffle ticket! tickets are on sale until 30 September 2011.

HANNAH FRANK AT TRADE FAIRS We had stands at two trade fairs this summer, in Harrogate and Glasgow, with a specific aim to get Hannah Frank cards into new outlets – art shops, galleries and card shops. I had fantastic support at the trade fairs from Hannah Frank afficionados Wendy Moore (who helped to hang the exhibition at Lancaster City Art Gallery in 2004!), and longstanding Hannah Frank fan Tim Street. We have made many more cards available – a total of 27 are now on sale, including a beautiful ‘Girl With Menorah’, ‘Sorcery’ from 1929, and ‘Out of the Night a Shadow Passed’ (1928). See them on the website gallery HERE We made lots of new friends (especially at Glasgow, where I made myself very popular by taking round a Hannah Frank illustrated CAKE to celebrate my birthday!) We are very pleased to announce that cards and/or prints are now available from the following outlets with more (including Arteria, Lancaster) poised to join in very soon:

The Cat's Miaou, Edinburgh

Bookpoint, Dunoon

Glasgow University Visitor Centre

Calder Gallery, Lochwinnoch

Mosaic, Bishop's Stortford

Iona Gallery and Pottery, Isle of Iona

Smith Art Gallery and Museum, Stirling

Darryl Nantais Gallery, Linton, Cambridge

Glasgow Women’s Library (at the Mitchell Library – Berkeley St)

BOOK COMPETITION At Harrogate we ran a daily competition for a copy of the book ‘Hannah Frank: A Glasgow Artist, Drawings and Sculpture.’ Among the winners were Les Skinner, from Euphoria, Whitchurch, Cardiff; Sheila Tennet, from Florin and The Glendale Gallery, Wooler, Northumberland, Tracy Goldsmith, Paula Manfield, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Carol Johnson from Daisy Jewellers, Mark Jessett of GF Smith paper supplier, Charlotte Strawbridge, artist and Claire Riley from the House for an Art Lover. . At Glasgow we had a raffle to win a signed and numbered copy of the print ‘Dream’ (1952) which was won by Christine Brown from the Calder Gallery in Lochwinnoch.

HANNAH FRANK features in Masters Thesis Earlier this month I was very moved to read Dawn Sinclair’s Master’s thesis, “Shaping the archive - Identity and the Acquisition and Processing of Archives”. Dawn was doing the post-graduate degree in Information Management and Preservation at Glasgow University. She interviewed me earlier this year, and wrote beautifully about the place of my aunt's archive in the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, and the role that the manager and housekeeper at Westacres Care Home had played in preserving the collection, as well as my own role as ‘champion’ of my aunt’s collection.

Please think about buying some cards, notelets, or prints, to help to bring Hannah Frank to an even wider audience. When just one new person sees a card then we have reached another potential fan of my aunt’s art.

Best wishes

Fiona Frank

Director, Hannah Frank Art

07778 737681

hannahfrankart@gmail.com

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Friday, August 19, 2011


There has been lots of Hannah Frank-related news in 2011 - I have submitted my PhD (finally) and spent six months living in Glasgow finishing that off. That has kept me pretty much busy all year so I haven't been keeping this blog up at all. But I HAVE done a trade fair in Harrogate, donated a print to a 'riotraffle' to support small traders whose businesses were damaged by the August riots, and printed up 27 new cards to add to what's available on the Hannah Frank website. The next thing will be NOTELETS - to come in September, in response to demand from card-shop visitors to the Harrogate stall.


I'm going to be doing another Hannah Frank stall at the Glasgow Autumn Trade Fair on 18/19 September at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre - stand K20. The show is free to the trade, go to the trade fair website to complete a free registration form. At that stall galleries, card shops and others will be able to see how the 27 stunning new cards, the signed and unsigned prints, and books, would look in their outlets.

The value and profile of Hannah Frank's work in Scotland is likely to be greatly increased this year. September will see a rare chance for discerning buyers to acquire an original Hannah Frank drawing. An early work, 'Spirit of Delight', dating from 1927 when the artist was only 19, has been lying in a Norwich loft for 30 years, and will be coming up for auction, together with one of Hannah Frank's first sculptures, a bronze Head 1954, at McTear's 'Fine Autumn Pictures Auction' in Glasgow on 27th September.

At the SECC there'll be a FREE DRAW for a framed, signed and numbered Hannah Frank print of her drawing 'Dream', 1952, which retails at £350. The draw will be drawn at the end of the show, Monday 19th September. If you won't be there but would like to be included in the draw, *post your business card or contact details* to Hannah Frank Art Sales, c/o Fiona Frank, 3 Dalton Road, Lancaster LA1 3PR, England, to arrive by Wednesday 14th September 2011.

Do get in touch if you want to stock Hannah Frank prints, cards, or sculpture, or would like to know more.

all the best
Fiona Frank
Director, Hannah Frank art

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Klezmer Night 11th December 2010


Klezmer Music, Dance and Story-Telling

Sat 11th December 2010



An evening Klezmer dance with a Yiddish story-teller - and afternoon

Klezmer music workshop


at

The Gregson Community and Arts Centre, Moorgate, Moor Lane, Lancaster LA1 3PR



7.30 p.m. - 11.00 p.m. Klezmer dance, with the Klatsch, callers

Judith Plowman and Sue Cooper, with interval entertainment from

spell-binding Yiddish storyteller Shonaleigh - official consort to the

Story-Teller Laureate.


£7.50/£5.00 (lower price for Gregson members, concessions, and people attending in the afternoon)



Afternoon workshop and film


2.00 pm - 5.00 pm in the main hall - Klezmer Music workshop with The Klatsch. All welcome, any instrument. Some tunes will be learned by ear, others with music.

£5.00/£4.00 (lower price for Gregson members, concessions).



6.30 p.m. A FREE showing of the short film 'Hannah Frank, The Spark Divine' - by Sarah Thomas, film maker who was based at Lancaster until recently. Hannah Frank, 1908-2008, was a Glasgow artist whose eerie

black and white prints are showing in the Gregson bar during December. Order a meal from the Gregson's varied menu and eat it in the hall as you watch the film.



Organised by Lancaster and Lakes Jewish Community and the WEA Folk to Folk class.

For further information email Fiona Frank at lancslakesjc@gmail.com or Sian Phillips on Siande_lier@hotmail.com or phone 07778 737681.


Get your tickets in advance for the evening dance from the Gregson on 01524 849959 or just turn up.


Thursday, November 04, 2010






These are seven (**six, sorry!) individually reproduced full size digital images of Hannah Frank's work which we had done for the poetry competition and which are 'surplus to requirements'. They're done on beautiful quality heavy art paper. Normally £75, I'm happy to let these go for £25 each plus £2.50 p&p in the UK. There's only one of each so first come first served!

If you'd like one email me with your preference and I will send you a paypal invoice or an address to send your cheque.
Fiona

UPDATE 7 DECEMBER: That was a flight through the air has gone. FURTHER UPDATE: O to the Rolling Heaven, Woman with Book, andSultan after Sultan, have also GONE.
fionafrank@gmail.com

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Silent Auction at the Hidden Lane Gallery till 30 October



A rare chance to acquire an original Hannah Frank: for drawings and a set of two woodcuts for sale silent auction at the Hidden Lane Gallery up to 30 October 2010. See below for more photos....




Thursday, September 30, 2010

Hannah Frank at the Hidden Lane Gallery till 30 October

Hannah Frank at the beautiful Hidden Lane Gallery - exhibition runs till 30 October, 11 am - 5 p.m. Tues-Saturday. Evening reception Wed 6th October 5 p.m.- 7.30 p.m. All welcome please pass it on!
1081 Argyle St, Finneston, Glasgow. G3 8LZ


Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Hannah Frank original drawings for sale by silent auction at the Hidden Lane Gallery -closes 4 p.m on Sat 30 October






Four drawings and a set of two woodcuts by Hannah Frank - Al Aaraaf (1908-2008)- for sale by silent auction.


This is the first time that there has been a chance to bid on original Hannah Frank drawings since the 1970s. This beautiful set of four drawings and two woodcuts has been in a private collection in Norwich for 30 years. They are now on show at the Hidden Lane Gallery Hannah Frank exhibition which runs till 30 October. Closing date for the Silent Auction is 4 p.m. on Saturday 30th October. You can bid, in increments of £20, in person at the gallery, or by phoning the gallery during gallery opening times (11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday).

Gallery Tel no 0141 204 3139.
Hidden Lane Gallery 1081 Argyle St Finneston Glasgow G3 8LZ.
http://hiddenlanegallery.com


The four drawings are:

'Ex Libris Arthur Frank' 1929 Pen and ink. - this is a well-known image of a stylised Hannah Frank style woman, holding up a sheet of paper, with a mask by her feet - done originally in 1929 as a frontispiece for the GUM magazine. It is signed Al Aaraaf, the artist's pen name which she used for drawings in the GUM. The drawing and the image was used for many of the 1960s and 70s exhibitions posters, and covers for prints and cards catalogues. When the current owner bought it there were details of an Edinburgh exhibition from the 1970s on it - these details are on the back of the frame, but under those details were, in beautiful manuscript 'ex libris Arthur Frank' - a bookplate for the artist's younger brother, Arthur Frank (1915-2005). There are some 'whiteout' marks which you can see on the closeup photos and glue marks where the different exhibition information, etc, has been stuck on the drawing. Opening offer £2500. (10/9/10 - check with gallery for latest price)

'Head with diamond floor' - unfinished drawing, pencil and pen and ink, 1934. The drawing is of a woman, in front of a window with a tree and typical Hannah Frank dark, close-drawn sky, with diamond tiled window ledge. The drawing is signed 'Hannah Frank' in pencil, in capital letters. Opening offer £1700. (10/9/10 - check with gallery for latest price)

'Hopeless Love' - pen and ink drawing, 1929. This beautiful drawing is of a woman, facing the viewer, with a long dress, long pointed fingers, and typical eerie Hannah Frank trees and a closely drawn dark nightfall in the background. The words, in careful manuscript, are 'a lady murmuring low words of hopeless love'. Hannah Frank based many of her drawings on poetry - the original of this quotation is not known (please contact the artist's niece Fiona Frank if you have any information on this quotation). This is an untypical drawing of the period in that there is a lot of white in it - her early drawings of 1928/1929 are mainly in black with fine white lines marking the figures. Opening offer £2000 (10/9/10 - check with gallery for latest price).

'Spirit of Delight' 1927 - pen and ink drawing. This very early drawing is of a woman, with long flowing hair and a long dress with a flowing train, silhouetted against a black background. The quotation is 'rarely rarely comest thou - spirit of delight' - which comes from a 1824 song of the same name by Shelley. Opening offer £2000 10/9/10 - check with gallery for latest price).

The two woodcuts are mounted together. They were done between 1932 and 1934 when Hannah Frank studied wood engraving at the Glasgow School of Art.(She won the James McBey prize for wood engraving. They are both of the same image, at slightly different stages of the engraving. One is signed Hannah Frank in pencil. The image is of the artist's own bookplate - the wording is 'Ex Libris Hannah Frank - Al Aaraaf'. There is a representation of the artist, holding a pen in her left hand (she was, in fact, right-handed, but the engraving is done in mirror image), with, in the background the typical star, and double leafed tree that figures in many of her drawings. The poetry books and bottle of ink - the other tools of her trade - feature below - and the artist is holding a sheaf of drawings in her right hand. Opening offer £1500 10/9/10 - check with gallery for latest price.)

Sale price includes frame with acid free mount. Enquire for closeup photos of individual drawings Fiona Frank, the artist's niece - hannahfrankart@googlemail.com

Also at the gallery - many more original Hannah Frank black and white drawings and sketches and a set of pastel life drawings from the 1950s which were only discovered in 2008 (and which are all for sale). Also bronze and plaster sculptures and a chance to buy cards, prints (some signed) and sculptures.