Frederick Sigfred Franck (April 12, 1909 – June 5, 2006) 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 became a United States citizen in 1945. He was a dental surgeon by trade, and worked with Dr. Albert Schweitzer in Africa from 1958 to 1961.[1]
His major creation was a sculpture garden and park adjacent to his home in Warwick, New York, which he called Pacem in Terris ("Peace on Earth"). In 1959, he and his wife, Claske Berndes Franck, purchased the six-acre property, the site of an old grist mill which had become a dumping ground, for $800.[2] They opened Pacem in Terris to the public in 1966. Dr. Franck dedicated it to Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Pope John XXIII, and the Buddhist teacher D.T. Suzuki.[3] More than 70 sculptures adorn the property, which is now operated by a nonprofit foundation.
Bibliography
Messenger of the Heart: The Book of Angelus Silesius, with observations by the ancient Zen masters, (World Wisdom, 2005) ISBN978-0-941532-70-9
A Little Compendium on That Which Matters, (St Martins Press, 1993) ISBN978-0-312-09327-3
To Be Human Against All Odds: On the Reptile Still Active in Our Brain (Nanzan Studies in Religion and Culture), (Asian Humanities Pr, 1991) ISBN978-0-89581-945-1
Life Drawing Life: On Seeing/Drawing the Human, (Great River Books, 1989) ISBN978-0-915556-19-9