Frederick Franck
Frederick Sigfred Franck was a painter, sculptor, and author of more than 30 books on Buddhism and other subjects who was known for his interest in human spirituality. He was a native of The Netherlands and became a United States citizen in 1945. He was a dental surgeon by trade, and worked with Dr. Albert Schweitzer in Africa from 1958-1961.
His sculptures are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Fogg Art Museum, the Tokyo National Museum, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
His major creation, however, was a sculpture garden and park adjacent to his home in Warwick, New York, which he called Pacem in Terris, or "Peace on Earth." In 1959, Dr. Franck and his wife, Claske Berndes Franck, purchased the 6-acre property, the site of an old grist mill which over the years had become a dumping ground, for $800. They opened Pacem in Terris to the public in 1966. Dr. Franck dedicated it to Dr. Albert Schweitzer as well as to Pope John XXIII and the Buddhist teacher D.T. Suzuki. More than 70 sculptures adorn the property, which is now operated by a nonprofit foundation.
