Frank Philippi
1921 - 2010
Born in Schelle (BE), died in Oostende (BE).
After studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Frank Philippi choses photography over painting. It was his greatest hobby, but he also saw many creative-commercial possibilities in it, and in addition some financial reasons played a part in his choice. He was a very versatile photographer and had an enormously extensive career. In the 1940s he became known for his portraits, reportages, fashion and advertising photos in which aesthetics, sensuality and seduction are central features. During the 1950s he turned mainly to street photography on a commercial level and was one of the founding members of the G58 movement. Later, abstraction crept into his work and through contact with the painter Jef Verheyen, he moved towards Italy in the 1960s, where he ended up in the network around famous Italian painters as Lucio Fontana and Piero Manzoni. Several photo series from that period are, as it were, visual witnesses to these artists environments. Throughout his career, you always notice a focus on the innovative trends of the 1950s to 1970s, as subjects such as the car and the jukebox often recur. Yet his photography remains innovative and playful. His best-known series, however, remains the 1970s egg series. From 1978 until 1986, he was also a teacher at the Brussels Sint-Lucas Institute. Since he practiced almost all photographic genres, Philippi is still widely recognized in Belgium and abroad.
‘ (..) zeer eenvoudige opnamen, die niets aan technische kunstgrepen verschuldigd lijken en die al hun waarde aan de persoonlijke optiek van de fotograaf danken.’ (Marc Callewaert, '“G-58” sluit zijn zomercyclus', in: Gazet van Antwerpen, 8 oktober 1958)
