Frank Lisser competed studies in Dutch language and literature (1981) and graduated in Fine Art classical painting at Minerva (1986). The first years after graduation, Lisser worked as a traditional painter by making big commissioned murals as a look-a-like of the frescos made during the Italian Renaissance.

From 1990 onwards, Lisser turned to a much more observation-based research of the daily life and surrounding and painted like a documentary-maker suburban landscapes with the aim to create an uncanny atmosphere within a well-known context. In 2001 Lisser started working on a diary (now around 4200 little paintings) as a recording of a daily useless activity.

As a painter Lisser observes the world not as an objective reality but as a phenomenological construction in which he tries to avoid any expression.

After wining the NRC essay prize in 1999, Lisser wrote essays about contemporary topics in art in an art-magazine called De Nieuwe and introduction-texts in catalogues up to 2018.

Frank Lisser teaches Fine art at Minerva (1990-till today), has given classes at the Rietveld (1994 till 2004) and since 2008 has been taching at KABK an orientation on painting for the first-year Fine Arts students.