Hannah Frank

Born in Glasgow to Jewish-Russian immigrants. Hannah Frank is best known for her black and white illustrations of elongated figures and scenes. She studied English and Latin at the University of Glasgow then trained to become a teacher. During her training she attended evening classes at Glasgow School of Art studying lithography, drawing and sculpture.

She produced her characteristic black and white drawings from the age of 17, and was frequently featured in the Glasglow University Magazine under her chosen pen name ‘Al Aaraaf’- a name she adopted from a poem by American gothic writer Edgar Allan Poe about a star which suddenly appeared in the heavens, and after shining brighter and brighter for a few days, suddenly disappeared, never to be seen again. Her haunting black and white drawings are resonant of the art nouveau period. In the 1950s her practice grew to incorporate sculpture. 

Frank’s 100th birthday was celebrated with the opening of an exhibition of her work at the University of Glasgow in 2008. In 2009 she received two posthumous awards, Glasgow City Council’s Lord Provost’s award for Art, and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Glasgow in recognition of her 'outstanding contribution to Glasgow, the Jewish Community, and the arts'.