OD11 digital HR - Flipbook - Page 57
CULTURE
MAIN PHOTOGRAPH UNSPLASH
B
ishops has produced its
fair share of captains of
industry, distinguished
academics and famous
sportsmen, and that’s as it should
be. But world-esteemed art dealers
are, like masterpieces, not as
common. Paul Frank McCabe
(1993O) is one, an art dealer and
advisor whose career has taken
him from the pages of Thames &
Hudson art books in the Molteno
Library to the auction houses of
New York, Miami and Milan.
Unlike the conventional art
historian, quietly cataloguing the
nuances of chiaroscuro in a dimly
lit university library, Paul Frank (as
he will be known in this piece for
reasons of disambiguation) has
taken a more dynamic approach.
In some ways, his career began at
school, when the parents of friends
started asking him for collecting
advice. And he wasted no time
once he hit the job market: after
his studies, he made connections
with the big names of South
African art, before he moved to
the US where the true action lay.
For three decades, he has been
at the forefront of the modern
and contemporary art market,
advising high-profile collectors
and institutions alike. His work
is not just about selling art; it’s
about curating an experience,
cultivating collections and, as
he puts it, “turning passion into
something tangible”. His clients
include museums and private
buyers who view collecting both
as investment and philosophy.
But prior to all this, there was
Bishops. Long before he rubbed
shoulders with international
collectors, Paul Frank paged
through illustrated volumes in the
Molteno Library, his imagination
sparked by the generous book
donations of Raymond Danowski.
Raymond’s sons Guston and Henry
were attending Bishops Prep at the
ABOVE Paul and Paul –
with suitably suave baristas
– sampling the espresso at
the legendary Marchesi 1824.
LEFT Milan is the fashion
capital of Italy, and the
Quadrilatero d’Oro is the
centre of fashion in Milan.
ABOVE LEFT Looking chic
in cold-weather gear.
OPPOSITE The iconic
Duomo di Milano
cathedral at sunset.
time, and his passion for collecting
books spilled over to the College
and Prep libraries, which benefited
hugely. Filled with reproductions of
Picassos, Warhols and Hockneys,
the books opened up a new world,
one far beyond the school fields
of Rondebosch.
Today, Paul Frank finds himself
at the heart of that world, splitting
his time between Milan and New
York. His success has allowed him
to put down roots in the fashion
and cultural capital of Italy, where
he lives with his Swedish wife
Jenny and their three daughters
in a sprawling, art-filled 1930s
apartment on Via Senato, a stone’s
throw from the city’s most famous
galleries and auction houses.
Enter Paul Murray, ODU
Ambassador (hereafter ODA Paul),
lover of all things Italian, and a man
who knows a good espresso when
he finds one. ODA Paul studied
Italian language and literature
at the University of Florence in
the 1970s and, as many ODs well
know, has spent decades absorbing
the nuances of Italy’s history and
culture. Back in 1993, when Paul
Frank was in his matric year in
Ogilvie, ODA Paul (better known
as Mr Murray back then) was
the assistant housemaster. It
was therefore with great delight
that he discovered his fellow Paul
was living in Milan – a city that
could be described as a spiritual
home for both men.
THE OLD DIOCESAN | 55
