Jean-Michel Frank was born in 1895 and was an influential French interior and furniture designer.
Frank began his design career in the 1920s.
- His early pieces often incorporated rich materials such as galuchat (untanned shark or ray skin), parchment, rock crystal, and exotic woods.
- In the 1930s, he joined Adolphe Chanaux, and together they formed a successful design atelier in Paris.
- With the outbreak of World War II, Frank, who was Jewish, was forced to flee Paris and took refuge in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Before his arrival, the Comte company had already been importing his designs for their projects.
- In 1936, Comte signed a licensing agreement to produce Frank's furniture locally.
- In 1940, he took on the role of creative director at Comte.
- Some notable clients included the Viscount and Viscountess de Noailles, Nelson Rockefeller, and Elsa Schiaparelli.