1978
Sam Francis was an American artist known for his exuberantly colorful, large-scale abstract paintings. His practice incorporated elements from Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting, Impressionism and Eastern philosophy to create a unique style of painterly abstraction.
Influenced by Jackson Pollock and Clyfford Still, Francis is more closely associated to the work of Helen Frankenthaler, as he was more interested in the formal arrangement of the picture plane than the expressivity of the individual artist. “Painting is about the beauty of space and the power of containment,” Francis once reflected.
Born on June 25, 1923 in San Mateo, California, Francis briefly served in the US Air Force during World War II but was injured during a test flight. Returning to California, he received his BA and MA from UC Berkeley in botany and psychology before beginning to pursue a career in art. The artist traveled widely during his career, and he was closely aligned with the Art Informel movement while living abroad in Paris during the 1950s.
Francis died on November 4, 1994 in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 71. He was a founding trustee of Los Angeles’s Museum of Contemporary Art, and his paintings can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Kunstmuseum Basel, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, among others.
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Untitled SF85-19 - Painting American Abstract Expressionism
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
This is an oil painting on canvas by Sam Francis. It was painted in 1985. It is hand signed and dated in red pencil by the artist “Sam Francis 85” [2985], verso. This work is ident...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled SF64-572 (Acrylic Watercolour)
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
SAM FRANCIS 1923-1994 San Mateo, California 1923 – 1994 Santa Monica (American) Title: Untitled SF64-572 (Acrylic Watercolour), 1964 Technique: Signed and Dated Acrylic and Waterco...
Acrylic, Watercolor
Untitled SF73-681 - American Abstract Art 1973
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
This is an acrylic painting on wove paper by Sam Francis. It was painted in 1973. It is stamp signed with the two ink stamps of the Sam Francis Estate, verso. This work is identifi...
Paper, Acrylic
Untitled SF80-1191
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
SAM FRANCIS 1923-1994 San Mateo, California 1923 – 1994 Santa Monica (American) Title: Untitled SF80-1191, 1980 Technique: Stamp Signed Acrylic on tissue thin Japan paper Paper si...
Acrylic
Untitled (SFE-081) - 1992 - American Abstract Expressionism
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
SAM FRANCIS 1923-1994 San Mateo, California 1923 – 1994 Santa Monica (American) Title: Untitled (SFE-081), 1992 Technique: Original Hand Signed and Numbered Aquatint in Colours on ...
Etching, Aquatint
Trietto III
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
SAM FRANCIS 1923-1994 San Mateo, California 1923 – 1994 Santa Monica (American) Title: Trietto III, 1991 Technique: Original Hand Signed and Numbered Etching and Aquatint in Colour...
Etching, Aquatint
Untitled SF50-001
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
Sam Francis (1923-1994) was an American abstract painter, born in San Mateo, California. He turned to painting in the aftermath of World War II whilst recovering from severe injuries...
Egg Tempera
Untitled (SF64-121)
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
Sam Francis Untitled (SF64-121) 1964 Gouache and oil on paper 69.9 x 104.4 cms (27 1/2 x 41 1/8 ins) SF14605 Exhibited: New York, 'Chamberlain/Francis', Van Doren Waxter, July 11- ...
Gouache
Untitled SF74-863
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
In the 1970s, the beginning of a new phase in Francis’ career was defined by the emergence of the ‘color blotches’. These spots of gritty, shimmering color were made through glazes, ...
Acrylic
Untitled (SF64-048)
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
From the series Blue Balls, (1960-63). This series preoccupied Francis for a number of years, and as William C. Agee pointed out, are rooted in his threatened physical body. Again, t...
Acrylic
Untitled
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
74.6 x 43.2 cms (29 3/8 x 17 ins) Edition of 30 Plate: 60.3 x 25.1 cm (23 3/4 x 9 7/8 ins), Sheet: 74.6 x 43.2 cm (29 3/8 x 17 ins) Paper: Somerset Textured Edition of 30 Proofs: I BAT, 3 AP, 3 CTP Signed right, under image, numbered left, under image; publisher's chop lower right. Publisher: The Litho Shop, Inc., Santa Monica, California Printed by Jacob Samuel...
Aquatint, Color, Etching
Untitled (SF53-040)
By Sam Francis
Located in London, GB
This work is from perhaps the most desireable period of Francis' work, this work is related to paintings held in major museum collections, such as Big Red, 1953 in the collection of ...
Watercolor
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