Frank Walter (1926-2009) is an Antiguan artist and writer. In collaboration with the artist’s family, David Zwirner gallery exhibit Walter’s works until May 22, 2021.
Frank Walter, “Complex of Life”, Courtesy of Artist, http://www.frankwalter.org/
In this exhibition, the viewer can enjoy the wide range of Walter’s paintings from landscapes, abstract composition to surrealist figures. His works are simultaneously deeply entangled in personal narrative and social issues. Many of Walter’s works dealt with race, class, and social identity. Frank Walter is a talented artist who can express both real and imaginary things in fascinating paintings.
Frank Walter, “Plantation Fields and Workers”, Courtesy of Artist. http://www.frankwalter.org/
Walter was born to parents who are a plantation owner and an enslaved people. He was the first person of color who become a manager on the island of Antigua. Walter’s mixed-race descent led him to an inquiry of identity. Walter writes: “Since I could not change myself. Since I could not turn myself into some other family. I had to live with it. I had to be prepared to answer questions concerning why I speak the way I speak the way I do.”
Walter’s work is also related to the postcolonial issue, especially on the query of his aristocracy lineage. He imagined that his German inheritance has a connection with the royal houses of Great Britain and Europe. He referred to himself as “the Seventh Prince of the West Indies, Lord of Follies and the Ding-Ding Nook.”
Walter was also inspired by the beauty and power of nature. It can be found on some of his works, like Untitled (Single palm with black mountains and ocean behind), Hurricane Series, and Untitled (Mountain, sea, and white lines of sunshine).
Frank Walter, “Untitled (Mountain, sea, and white lines of sunshine)”, n.d., Courtesy of Artist and David Zwirner https://www.davidzwirner.com/
Frank Walter, “Hurricane Series”, Courtesy of Artist. http://www.frankwalter.org/
All of his works show that Frank Walter is truly a visual artist, writer, environmentalist, and even a philosopher.
“Frank Walter – The Last Universal Man” by Vanessa H. Smith
